Law that initiated US women's football dominance

Legislation passed in 1972 known as Title IX responsible

LOS ANGELES: The United States will arrive in France for the women's World Cup as the standard-bearers for one of the most dominant eras in the history of international football.

In the 34 years since a makeshift team played their first international, the Americans have forged a record of success unparalleled in women's football.

Since the first women's World Cup in 1991, the USA has won the tournament three times and finished runner-up once.

Over the same period, the USA has won four gold medals and a silver since women's football was launched at the 1996 Olympics.

It is the sort of record that the USA men's team — who did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup — can only dream of.

So how have they done it? Why have generation after generation of US women emerged as world-beaters?

The roots of US dominance can be traced back to landmark legislation passed in 1972 known as Title IX. The law banned gender discrimination in federally-funded education programs and paved the way for a new generation of female athletes.

Karen Blumenthal, author of "Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed The Future of Girls in America" said the legislation transformed the sporting landscape of high schools and colleges across the United States.

Establishments which had been lavishing millions on athletic programs for men were required to introduce programs for girls and women. Soccer programs flourished because they were easy to set up.

"Soccer is really cheap," Blumenthal told AFP. "It takes very little equipment. You don't need a whole load of coaches. It is super easy."

According to the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), in 1972, only 295,000 girls competed in high school sports across the US. By 2015-2016, that figure was 3.32 million.

"Before Title IX, women and girls didn't have the opportunities to play sports in schools," Neena Chaudhry, the center's general counsel and senior advisor for education, told AFP.

"There were no athletic scholarships for women which allows many young women to go to college in the first place. Title IX has clearly been a driving force in opening the doors to sports for women and girls across the country," Chaudhry added, while cautioning that "there's still a lot of work to do" in securing gender equality.