Soccer Suffragist

All White Kit

RHIAN SOCCER AND MEDIA REPORTS

FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TV NUMBERS 18th July 2011

From articles by CBC and Nigel Reed

The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup is now part of history. Many of the games held incredible drama, including the finals. The players showed great technical skill and levels of fitness. But as important as anything else, over one million soccer fans in Canada tuned in to watch the Women's World Cup final on Sunday 17th July, 2011.

Japan's thrilling come-from-behind victory over the United States produced an average audience of 1.051 million viewers, the CBC said Monday.

The game, which saw Japan win its first-ever women's title on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw following extra time, peaked at 1.77 million viewers. The fans were treated to soccer without those aspects of soccer which mar the men's game: Diving, acting and time wasting. It was a highly competitive tournament, almost withiut gamesmanship.

The game was also a ratings hit south of the border, where it earned the highest television rating for any soccer game ever on an ESPN network.

The American cable giant reported an average of almost 13.5 million viewers watching the match, making it the sixth most watched soccer telecast ever in the United States. The record is still held by the 1999 Women's World Cup final.