If you thought the excitement of women’s soccer was a recent phenomenon, there’s a good reason for that. And a new documentary is showcasing two very important messages – there has been a deliberate shunning from global media and international sports bodies when it comes to broadcasting and supporting women’s soccer, and that women have been playing world-class, exciting matches that pull in record-number audiences for decades.
‘COPA 71’ from Greenwich Entertainment, is the stirring saga of a landmark women’s sports event buried from history. Directed by Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine and executive produced by Serena Williams, Venus Williams and U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan, the film premiered as the opening night documentary of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. ‘COPA 71’ opened theatrically in New York on June 21st, 2024, and is now available to watch on digital platforms on Friday, June 21. It will also have a theatrical run in Los Angeles on July 15 and select theaters nationwide.
In August of 1971, fifty years after FIFA first banned women’s soccer, teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark and Italy gathered in Mexico City for the first unofficial Women’s World Cup. The scale of the tournament was monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner, and crowds of over 100,000 roaring fans that turned the historic Azteca Stadium into a cauldron of noise match after match.
A fawning media treated the players — whose athleticism until then had barely been acknowledged in their homelands — like rock stars. And yet this heroic event has been written out of sporting history — until now.
Told by the trailblazing women who participated in it and built from archive unseen for fifty years, COPA 71 revels in the excitement, passion, humor and poignant coda of this inexplicably well-kept secret, setting the players’ personal stories within the context of the women’s liberation movement in the ‘60s through to the present day.
We had the opportunity to speak with director Rachel Ramsey as the film began its U.S. theatrical screenings, to learn more about the significance of sharing an important piece of global sporting history, what role it plays in current conversations about women’s sports, and what she hopes will change after audiences see the outrageous way these players were treated simply for their gender.
When did you first learn about the story of the Copa 71 final, and what made you want to make a documentary about it?
We learned about the tournament through a radio interview with one of the English players, who was reconnecting with the team after they had lost contact 47 years previously. We realized that the story was a global one, and that this tournament could be key in gaining a deeper understanding of the history of women’s sport and why it is where it is today. The extraordinary women we feature in the film were also a huge draw to us when telling such a story!
What was the process of reaching out to the participants in the film, and did you meet any initial resistance from them?
Many of the women were initially resistant as they had not spoken about the tournament and their experiences in almost five decades.
They had been gas lit by an establishment who refused to recognize their stories, and so getting their voice back was very important to them, and a responsibility on us as filmmakers.
A documentary like this requires a lot of archival footage, but there’s also the issue of women’s soccer not historically being covered in the same way as men’s soccer. What was the process of finding the news clips, game footage and the other videos we see in the film that piece the story together?
This was a long and painstaking process which involved teams of researchers and archivists from around the world, as well as a lot of ‘boots on the ground’ research and digging from me and my team.
We found a cache of still photographs from photographers that followed each team in Mexico City, that had not been opened since 1971. And also found footage from the grandson of an amateur filmmaker who was in the crowd and captured the most beautiful film which we feel really transports the audience to being part of the spectacle.
Although we are watching an inspirational story and important piece of sporting history in documentary form, you did something so awesome in re-creating (almost) the entire final match for the second half of the film, using commentary from the former players who recall key moments in the lead up the final whistle, and allowing viewers today to feel like they are in the stadium back in time! Can you share about the “choreography” of this climactic sequence?
From the outset we wanted the film to be engaging and entertaining, and to take the audience on an emotional journey the same as any drama. Everything from the sound design to the colorization of some of the stills and footage, the music, and vivid memories of the women themselves adds to the viewing experience.
There was something so profoundly sad about these incredible women reflecting back on how they were treated after playing in this final, becoming the butt of sexist jokes and even being dismissed as athletes simply for their gender. What is the message you want audiences today to take away from these moments of reflection?
One message I’d like audiences to take away, is that hard won rights can never be taken for granted. And that everyone has the right to self-expression, whether on a football pitch or anywhere else! We hope that people recognize this is a film about more than football or sport – it’s about fighting for one’s place in the world and the right to be who you want to be.
It feels like we are seeing a surge in media coverage of women’s sports, whether it is the most recent women’s world cup, or the “Caitlin Clark effect” in basketball. How does ‘Copa 71’ play a role in these conversations, and what kind of change do you hope it may potentially bring about?
We believe that the future of women’s sports will be strengthened by an understanding of its history and the women who pioneered the way – so stories like this are incredibly important in cementing the legends and history of the game. We also hope that ‘Copa 71’ will help pave the way for more stories like this to be told – proving that there is an appetite for women’s stories and untold sporting events.
What are some of the most surprising reactions to the film have you seen so far?
I think the level of emotion and empathy that audiences have shown has been incredible. Also the desire that audiences have to know more, and to interact further with the women’s stories, has been incredibly rewarding for the whole team.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of making this film for you?
One rewarding element is that this story now has its rightful place in history, and the existence of the tournament is now undeniable. In fact, Guinness World records recently contacted us to confirm that Copa 71 now holds the official record for the highest attendance for any women’s sporting event in history, based on evidence dug up by the film.
But also, we are so proud we helped to give voice to the personal stories of the women involved, and that so many of the younger generations who have been inspired by them. We hope that this film is one drop in an ocean of stories that are part of a greater change, that will inspire generations to come.
You can visit the ‘Copa 71’ website to see a list of theatrical screenings and where it is available to watch digitally.
