Play On: From Adversity to Advantage Through 140 Years of Women's Soccer
by Heidi Smith
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Pub Date 4 Sep 2025 | Archive Date 15 May 2026
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Description
Women's Rights Meet Sports History
Women's rights meet sports history in this compelling journey through 140 years of women's soccer. For decades, the women's game has been a powerful vehicle for sparking change, yet dedicated fans still know little about the pioneers who kept playing despite bans and even violence. Play On uses soccer fouls as a framework to share stories of dangerous play, obstruction and delay of game, along with examples of women 'playing on' to remarkable effect, transforming not just the game but the culture around it.
Learn why players on one of the first English women's teams used fake names to protect their identities, when the German Women's National Team held a bake sale to travel to an international tournament, what challenges female soccer fans in Iran face and how the Afghan women's team is continuing to fight for FIFA recognition in exile. Explore new approaches to transforming team culture and pre-empting athlete abuse, how the media landscape is shifting around women's sports (finally!) and the medical research that's changing the game.
Advance Praise
'Play On' is an inspiring and essential read that brilliantly chronicles the indomitable spirit of women’s soccer, revealing how the sport has not only overcome historical and modern obstacles but has also become a powerful catalyst for societal change. This compelling work transcends sports, offering a profound sociological examination that will resonate with anyone interested in empowering women, women’s history, and the enduring power of perseverance. - Dr. Colleen Hacker, 6 Time Olympic Games Coaching Staff, 12 World Championships, Former USWNT Mental Skills Coach
'Play On' is a deeply human, well-researched chronicle that brings to light 140 years of women’s football history—capturing the passion, resilience, and relentless fight for recognition and equality, often in the face of indifference, discrimination, and outright exclusion. Through compelling storytelling, the book highlights the systemic challenges women have faced in the game and honors the incredible women, including those like myself, who refused to be sidelined. It’s a powerful tribute to the courage of those who kept playing on. - Andrea Rodebaugh-Huitron, Women's National Team Sports Director, Mexican Football Federation
‘Play On’ is a powerful tribute to the resilience, passion, and progress of women’s soccer. This book doesn’t just chronicle a sport—it celebrates a movement, a legacy, and the trailblazers who turned adversity into triumph. - Dr. Marilyn Giroux, Assistant Professor, University Laval
Women’s football, which faced adversity for years, is now on the brink of being the most played sport in the world for girls! That’s the advantage of belief. ‘Play On’ shines a light on those challenges while celebrating how far the sport has come. - Fran Hilton-Smith, Technical Director, South African Football Association
Heidi weaves together so many threads that come together to create – and break – barriers from the past to the present, from youth players to professionals, from local communities to global icons. It’s a gift to have such a holistic look at where we’ve been and how to go forward. - Mary Connor, Executive Director, Football Beyond Borders
Telling stories like this is important to shape our understanding of women’s experience in sport. - Dr. Jessica Vredenburg, Senior Lecturer, Auckland University of Technology
Marketing Plan
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798218740856 |
| PRICE | $18.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 216 |
Links
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Average rating from 3 members
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