In which year did the FIFA Women’s World Cup make its debut?

1991 was an important year for women’s football, putting it firmly on the world stage. It likely would now surprise many to learn that this was the year of the first Women’s World Cup, held in Japan.

Nowadays, there’s a myriad of coverage both domestic and international, but even in recent history that hasn’t been the case. Some would say that it’s pushed too much (or is cheaper to broadcast than men’s football, so highlighted for that reason), but there’s little reason why football shouldn’t be a sport for all, and the increased attention paid can certainly be a catalyst to lift standards of, and interest in, the game.

With increased coverage comes a focus on in-form teams both domestic and international and takes on who will win in any particular clash. A YouGov study from last year found that 60% of those who engage in sports betting actively follow the women’s game.

The 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, took place in Guangdong, China and consisted of twelve nations vying for success on the world stage. There were:

Nigeria
China
Japan
Chinese Taipei
Brazil
New Zealand
Denmark
Germany
Italy
Norway
Sweden
United States

 

Matches were 80 minutes instead of the men’s 90 minute games, though that has since changed. The tournament captured significant attention from around the world and set a foundation from which has been built upon ever since. There have been eight tournaments since held in places such as Sweden, United States, Germany, Canada, Australia/New Zealand (jointly held). Speaking to the growing success of women’s football is the fact that in 2015 the Women’s World Cup final saw the most watched soccer match in American history – 23 million viewers. America certainly has a fondness for the womens game (there’s long been the idea of the ‘soccer mom’), which is likely why they’ve performed so well, in winning four out of the nine touraments  held so far.

The debut of the FIFA Women’s World Cup most certainly put the women’s game on the map and has expanded both the draw and inclusion of the beautiful game. In England where women’s football is also popular (with England women’s team making the final of the 2023 World Cup and winning the 2022 Women’s Euros) female footballers like Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, and Jill Scott are now household names.

In many ways, on the International level at least, the women’s and men’s games complement each other well and can take inspiration from each others successes. Most likes to see their nations teams do well on the international stage and so gender shouldn’t really come into it on that level.

Can You Remember The Bronze Bully on TV Show Bullseye?

As Jim Bowen used to say: ‘You can’t beat a bit of Bully?’

He was right. We loved it! Every Sunday evening, back in the dark ages of TV, before YouTube and streaming platforms, we’d sit patiently for the catchy theme tune to start and the next moment we were floored by Bowen’s one-liner which had been refused as a dud by the Christmas Cracker Company.

In fairness, I think the stand-up comedian come TV host was told to find the worst kind of humour. It was probably the reason they hired sidekick Tony Green. He had a connection with Sid Waddell ‘The Voice of Darts’ whose Geordie accent was synonymous with the game. You may remember the BBC showing the World Professional Darts Championship at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey.

I’m pretty sure Bullseye was built on the back of that!

Back in the days of popular television, Bullseye was a phenomenal success. Created by Andrew Wood and Norman Vaughan, it was a great hit with viewers from 1981 – 1995. At its peak, Bullseye attracted a weekly audience of 10 – 15 million viewers. ITV broadcast the first year, but thereafter by Central Television. Every Sunday the populous were eager to watch.

The live audience looked to have an average age of 80. I’ve never seen so much blue-rinse hair and men in slippers.

However, they loved Bowen’s corny jokes and winning format.

The show’s mascot was an animated Bull named Bully. He wore a red and white striped shirt and blue trousers. The intro to the TV programme (with brilliant theme music sounding something like Chas and Dave) saw him jump from a pub sign, walk into a pub which has a dart’s competition. The cartoon like intro in the first series of 1981 was quite risqué with braless women in tight-fitting tee-shirts and heavyweight men with beer bellies standing at the bar drinking ale. A blue cat pops its head into shot. The next thing Bully hits a cracker of dart bang in the bullseye.

The show starts…

Ladies and Gentleman would you welcome your host for the evening, Jim Bowen…

It was a genius concept.

The game show was based on three sets of two contestants – a dart player and someone to answer the questions. Players would win by hitting a question category with a defined prize. After one of the pairs was knocked out of the competition the winning player’s score would be given in points profit if a question was answered correctly. In the final round, both players threw three darts each at a prize board to win a selection of goods – the bullseye offering the best swag. The contestants had the choice whether to chance their prize money and prizes for a tilt at the grand prize. In the final, they had six darts (three each) to score a total of 101 or more to pocket a secret prize. Sometime it was a car, exotic holiday and rather bizarrely a speedboat!

Whether contestants won of lost, they received their prized Bendy Bully and either a silver drinking tanker for the men and a goblet for the women.

As Jim would say: ‘Your charity money is safe!’

The dynamics of the game were something to behold. Often you didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at what you were watching. Some almost professional standard dart players while others could barley hit the board.

One of the contestants who took part in 1989 – John Copper – later turned out to be a convicted murderer. He was known as the ‘Bullseye Killer’.

Bowen had a list of popular catch phrases:

‘Super, smashing, great!’

‘You can’t beat a bit of bully!’

‘Let’s have a look at the board!’

‘Keep out of the black and in the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed.’

‘Look at what you could have won!’

There were a total of 354 episodes spanning 16 series. The show was dropped in 1996 after the TV network demanded Woods modernise the show.

One of the best parts of the show came before the final round when a professional dart player was invited to throw 9 darts for the contestants chosen charity. If the player scored over 301 the prize was doubled.

The professional with the highest score in that series took home the legendary Bronze Bully. Honestly, I think this was more prized than the World Darts Championship Trophy. It was hotly contested with all the famous darts players of the time. It ran from series 5 – 13 (1985 – 1995). True legends of the game took part.

In a rather unusual quirk, the highest score for the charity play came in 1984 (before the Bronze Bully Trophy) by Alan Evans with a score of 401 (to be fair he was unlucky not to score higher as his first three darts totalled 180, followed by another 180, then the wheels fell off (probably after seeing Bowen’s face and screech of Green’s high octane voice) he scored a paltry 41.

Still amazing to watch that example of fine dartsmanship to this day.

Unfortunately for Evans, the Bronze Bully Trophy started in 1985.

Here is a list of the top scores:

1985 – 86: John Lowe (380)
1986 – 87: Lionel Smith (365)
1987 – 88: Ray Farrell (340)
1988 – 89: Mike Gregory (380)
1989 – 90: Eric Bristow (380)
1990 – 91: Bob Anderson (380)
1991 – 92: Mandy Solomans (363)
1992 – 93: Mike Gregory (340)
1994 -Kevin Painter (380)

Bullseye was a great TV show. It was loved by millions and remembered fondly to this day.

As Jim Bowen said: ‘You can’t beat a bit of Bully!’

References:

Bullseye intro 1981 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoZgF0KNQN8

Alan Evans Bullseye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBowkrRq0G0

How much does sports betting contribute in revenue to the gambling industry?

The gambling industry offers a wide range of products and play options. While some people prefer lotteries, slots, and table games like poker, a growing portion of the population goes crazy for sports betting. Online sportsbooks like Betway receive thousands of fans every day, all looking to explore odds, and stats, and bet on their favorite sports, events, and players. In this post, we look at how sports bettors like you impact sports betting revenue share in the gambling market.

 

Sports betting market share

The global gambling market is currently worth over $600 billion and is expected to hit $1 trillion by 2030. Putting land-based gambling aside for a moment, the global online gambling sector contributes $85 billion to this figure. Spherical Insights & Consulting predicts it will surpass $160 billion by 2033.

By segment, online sport betting accounts for 65 percent of the revenue earned by the online gambling sector. Worth 55.2 billion, it is by far the most lucrative market in the space, followed closely by casino games like poker, slots, roulette, and baccarat.

Let’s look at how different regions contribute to this revenue.

 

Sports betting in the US

Sports betting in the US has existed in a legal grey area until very recently. It was only in 2018 that the Supreme Court vacated the federal ban on sports wagering, allowing Americans to bet on their favorite sports. Since then, several states have legalized sports betting, which has seen the sector grow.

ESPN reports that the US sports betting industry brought in $10.92 billion in revenue last year, a 44.5 percent increase from 2022. Compared to the overall gambling industry, which was worth $65.52 billion in 2023, sports betting holds a 24.5 percent market share. What about in the UK?

 

Sports betting in the UK

The UK is the land of sports. Home to international competitions like the EPL and Champions League, it is naturally a hub for sports betting. In fact, Statista projects that the UK will have 15.3 million active online sports bettors by 2029. At the moment, over 24 million people in Great Britain alone bet on sports both online and in land-based locations.

Revenue-wise, the UK online sports betting market is estimated at $4.56 billion in 2024. This number should grow to $5.68 billion in the next five years. Considering very few other markets are growing at this rate, it raises the question, why is online sports betting so popular?

 

Factors driving growth in the sports betting industry

The primary reason would be legislation. The US’s 2018 Supreme Court ruling and the UK’s 2005 Gambling Act saw sports betting become a legitimate and legal industry with tax obligations and operational procedures. Given this new lease on life, sportsbooks like Betway have capitalized on people’s established love for risk and sports to build a multi-billion-dollar industry.

But it’s not just the legal frameworks. Like other gambling sectors, the sports betting market is driven by changes in technology. Innovations like 5G internet and AR allow providers to deliver more immersive and exciting betting experiences to players from across the globe, which attracts more bettors and grows revenue. How far can this growth go?

 

The future of sports betting

As regulatory bodies and frameworks continue to legalize and regulate sports betting, its popularity will definitely grow. New technologies like the Metaverse and VR will also make sports betting more accessible, convenient, and immersive so that more bettors from across the world can access their favorite sports online through top providers like Betway.

How Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or

The last couple of years have shown why Rodri is perhaps the most consistent footballer of this generation. The Spaniard was awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or to the surprise of the sports betting odds, with many believing Vinicius Junior did enough for Real Madrid to become the first Brazilian recipient since 2007, however, it was Manchester City’s midfield maestro that was victorious in Paris.

Indeed, Vini and the rest of the remaining Madrid contingent chose to boycott the award, but even the missing European champions didn’t overshadow the praise shown to Rodri, who since 2023 had been the best player in world football until his injury against Arsenal earlier this season.

City are expected to be without Rodri for the rest of the season, but the 28-year-old’s influence on Pep Guardiola’s side was immediately apparent – the Premier League holders losing five games in a row in his absence.

He has been sidelined with an ACL injury since September, but even that did not manage to dampen spirits on a wet day at the Etihad Stadium, where Rodri was finally able to parade the trophy in front of the home fans.

“What can I say? The first City player to win it and on Saturday I will be with them and I will enjoy this with them,” he said. “I felt their love everyday and they love, they want me to show them and it will be a great moment for me on Saturday to share with them.

“Because we are a family and from the first minute I joined this Club they showed me their love.”

Big moments, important goals, and an ability to lead a team of winners showcased why Rodri lifted the famous golden trophy in France’s Théâtre du Châtelet. The most prestigious award an individual can receive, the decision from journalists to vote for Rodri over the likes of Vini Jr and Jude Bellingham, shows that being a part of a team is still valued.

As well as scoring the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final to complete an unprecedented treble, Rodri won a fourth consecutive Premier League title, as well as the European Championship with Spain.

In Germany, the midfielder’s presence was felt massively in La Roja’s success. He was named in the team of the tournament as the Spanish steamrolled their way to the trophy.
While he was subbed off in the final against England in Berlin, throughout the Euros he proved massively influential, completing 92% of his passes in six games and being the glue that connected Spain’s midfield and attack, giving the likes of Dani Olmo the freedom to get up the pitch.

The question now remains – will Rodri hit the same heights when he returns to the pitch? In recent years, the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Marco Reus have recovered from ACL injuries to rediscover their top form, and with the Spaniard in the same position as players like Eder Militão, the road to recovery will be long but well worth the wait.

Rodri was never blessed with breathtaking speed or athleticism, but his ability to read the game and dictate play has shown why he is regarded as one of the best players in the world. Only time will tell if he receives the award again, or if Vini or another Madrid player will finally win another Ballon d’Or.

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