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SPORTS> Feature and Column
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Soccer-Minnie aged 10 sparks debate over FA's rules
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-03-21 10:44 LONDON, March 21 - Ten-year-old Londoner Minnie Cruttwell has reignited a debate in soccer which looks set to run and run. The schoolgirl from Balham wants to play football with the big boys and is crying foul that when she is 12, Football Association (FA) rules dictate that she cannot. "It's really unfair. I like the team I'm with now and I don't want that to change," defender Cruttwell said in a telephone interview. The FA argue that the ruling is for her own good but Minnie and her father Greg Cruttwell reckon the English game's governing body is out of touch and have lined up some big guns in their efforts to change its mind. Not only is the campaign to allow Minnie to continue playing with boys her own age backed by a cabinet minister responsible for the running of sport in Britain, but the women's world champions, Germany, say she is right too. After receiving a letter from Minnie, Tessa Jowell, the Culture, Media and Sports Secretary, agreed to came and watch the youngster in action at her South London club and said she was "bowled over" by her passion for the game. "Minnie Cruttwell embodies that passion and I know that she is disappointed that she won't be able to play in the same team any more," said Jowell, who is also the Minister for Women. "Women's football is England's fastest-growing sport and I'm concerned that we are the only country in Europe who have a blanket ban in place for mixed football at this age level." QUESTION OF CHOICE Jowell set up a meeting for Minnie to put her claim to the FA, and since then the association has agreed to talk to children from around the country. "We have met with Minnie and her friends, and we will consult with other children of different ages and playing abilities and get their opinions too," an FA spokeswoman said in an interview. |
