Does the England Men's team need more joy?

We asked 323 women and non-binary football fans what they really think of this Men's World Cup. Turns out, they had a lot to say.

As England Men's manager Thomas Tuchel realised John Stones was only faking a shoulder injury after England's colossal win over Mexico, we were treated to something more than relief: joy.

The video of Tuchel beaming, Declan Rice giggling and Stones laughing was watched more than 40 million times online. We also enjoyed a hoarse captain Harry Kane chuckling at the inopportune loss of his own voice.

For the men's team in major tournaments, such overt joy is rare. The England team, under immense media and fan pressure, has a job to do. With the focus squarely on professionalism and intensity, there is no room for frivolities.

That intensity returned after England's win over Norway, with Tuchel and Jude Bellingham disagreeing over the nature of England's performance. Against Argentina on Wednesday, England's old enemy of ‘Hand of God’ and ‘David Beckham's red card’ fame, it will surely return.

For many, this attitude is understandable. This is competitive sport after all. But as the Men's World Cup swells into one of the world's largest cultural phenomena, far more than a mere sporting event, it attracts more diverse fans, and for some, the intense will to win at all costs is jarring.

We asked the Gals FC community, as well as other women and non-binary football fans, to give their view on this Men's World Cup. More than three quarters (76%) of people we surveyed said they thought men's football takes itself too seriously and almost 9 of every 10 people said they wanted men's football coverage to celebrate joy as much as success is currently celebrated.

Here is what the gals had to say:

Fans and the media have long speculated that the pressure the England Men's team are put under is what holds them back. That those same fans and media are responsible for that pressure is rarely acknowledged. Nearly two thirds of women and non-binary people we surveyed said they believe men's football focuses too much on pressure and winning.

The Men's World Cup, as it often does, started under a shadow, with players, fans and officials struggling to enter the host country. But once the football got going, joy abounded, particularly for smaller nations like Curacao and Cape Verde having real moments in the sun. The Gals approve, with 82% of those surveyed feeling that stories about smaller nations has made the tournament more enjoyable.

FIFA, which widened the tournament to include 48 teams, arguably deserves some credit for helping the world celebrate those underdogs, even if critics accuse the game's governing body of expanding the tournament to enrich its own coffers.

For the favourites, success is measured in winning, not in moments of joy. But where the French team played with an expansive lightness in its run to the semi-finals, England has been battling and one might argue that its pressure that is holding the team back.

That pressure could simply be an English trait, something embedded in the English psyche, to doubt oneself, to be self-deprecating. Maybe, this will be the first time in 60 years that the mindset actually works.

But one can't help but wonder what might happen if an England team played with a more positive fanbase behind them, more joy and less pressure on their shoulders. It might look something like The Lionesses, back-to-back European champions.

This piece is part of Gals on the Ground, opinions from our community, not the newsroom.

Read something that resonated? Send us a message on +44 7486 378371 to let us know what you think

.

To learn more about our club, visit galsfc.com or follow us on Instagram @gals.fc.