5 Reasons Why Women Make Better Soccer Players Than Men

Is there a difference between men and women's soccer? The huge salary gap comes to mind, but is the perception of women's soccer as an amateur sport justified? Some psychological differences between men and women questions whether women, in fact, may make better soccer players than men.

1. Women endure pain better than men

If childbirth is anything to go by, women endure pain better than men. Women's soccer, therefore, has less injury stoppages as women will play with knocks and niggles instead of bringing the game to a halt for attention. More often than not, a drink of water is enough to sort out the man's pain on the field so really, why even bother?

2. Women are more willing to follow the ideas suggested by others

Women understand the need to follow instructions from their coaches and captains for the greater good of the team. This isn't always the case with their male counterparts. Men, who prefer to think independently, would take more risks and may lose focus of the game plan. So if the cliché "Behind every successful man is a woman" holds true, what does that mean for an all-man soccer team?

3. Women are better at multi-tasking

Women's brains are able to decipher a wider range of information at any one time. They have a sharper ear, pay more attention to their surroundings and act on intuition. Does this allow them to hear the calls for the ball, read the game and see the gaps with greater ease than men?

4. A woman ranks relationships with others first while a man's priority is to fulfill his goals

Men tend to go for glory on the field and notch up as many goals as they possibly can. Although this isn't a problem in itself, it becomes a problem when it deviates from the game plan causing players in good positions not to get the ball. So does women's need for maintaining good relationships make them better team players?

5. Women are more self-critical while men are more satisfied with their own performance

Although some self-esteem issues are better dealt with in a therapist's office, on the soccer field it means that women are more willing to consider their own mistakes and learn from them. Do men, therefore, lose the opportunity to learn from their mistakes? When comparing the psychological make-up of men and women, there's definitely evidence that the game is different for men than it is for women. But are women actually better players than men? Perhaps the solution lies in taking the strengths of both sexes and changing the game completely...

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