Discussing gender equality in football with UN Women, Romance FC and Lewes FC
Game Plan: Can Football Lead The Way in Gender Equality? panel at Second Home Spitalfields – chaired by On The One’s Elles Pinfold on 9 October 2019
Game-changing figures from UK football gathered last month as UN Women UK played host to Game Plan, the first in their new Active Listening conversations. A quarterly series, it will focus on topics like football and music, and how they can create safer spaces for women in line with the UN Women’s global mission to end violence against women and girls.
It took place following the 2019 Women’s World Cup where 11.7 million watched England's World Cup loss to the USA, while 28.1 million people (a record) watched BBC coverage of the tournament on television and online. It was also around the big FA Women’s Super League (WSL) 19/20 season kick off – where record attendances for the women’s team in the men’s team stadiums (more than 31,000 at the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City Women vs Manchester United Women) made headline news.
The talk interrogated whether football could lead the way in gender equality. Or if, as marketing cash started to flow into the women’s game globally, it would repeat some mistakes of the men’s – trading a sense of fun, community and inclusion for brand partnerships and perceived clout. Inclusion and accessibility were the topics of the day.
Claire Barnett, UN Women UK Exec Director, kicked things off by explaining the work that the agency does. She spoke passionately about Brazilian player, legend and UN Women global ambassador Marta Viera da Silva and her journey through the game. How she aligned with the agency’s desire to launch grassroots programmes with women and girls in less privileged communities to make sure they have better access to sport and adjacent disciplines – from training to better education.‘She's an absolute superstar of football,’ says Barnett. ‘She grew up in Brazil and she said that her childhood was dominated by poverty. She grew up playing football barefoot and has memories of trying to take on the boys saying, I just want to play. Can you just let me play?’
Coach Amina Khan shared that necessity led Romance FC to start Playing For Kicks and Spring Kicks, their tournaments. The team were frustrated by being a token female team at an all-male tournament, by the lack of facilities and as she says ‘lack of awareness for women's needs in football. We were like ‘Ok we’re gonna put our own thing on, take all the crap we learnt from that tournament and make it about what grassroots football’s about, community.’ Her answers shone a light on the structural inequality in the game – from the difficulty finding a female coach in London (preferred due to the language male coaches were using) to how she wished there was more information on becoming a coach or referee. Her involvement with Romance FC has led to work with Yuwa, an organisation in India that uses football as a gateway for young girls to get into science and maths. It started with eight girls playing football and is now an organisation over 100 people. ‘I think FIFA and the FA need to do a hell of a lot more to encourage girls to get into other aspects of football, not just kick a ball around a pitch. We’re doing this great thing for girls in football. It's much bigger than that.’
Karen Dobres from Lewes FC explained how the club have already made a big change by paying the men’s and women’s team equal amounts. The move has seen gate receipts rise from 120 pre ‘Equality FC’, to 586 on average last season for their FA Women's Super League 2 (FASWL2) matches. The men’s gate was 610 for their fixtures in the Isthmian League Premier Division. She is clear that she wants the emphasis on equality to look beyond the field and work deeply with women’s organisations rather than as an afterthought. ‘We have a mutually supportive relationship with different organisations that empower women,’ says Dobres.‘I’ll approach an organisation like Rise, a domestic abuse charity in Brighton. I say, “Can I come and tell you about our football matches, we’re the first club in the world to pay women the same as men. It's amazing.” And they’re like,“Wow, that is quite a statement. Ok. Come and tell us at lunchtime.” They'll come to a match and enjoy it then I start to formalise the relationship. Women’s organisations have a page on our website each saying why they support us. We tell fans about the work that they're doing or if they want to call out for volunteers. We are welcoming women that were previously unwelcome via solidarity, through equality to our ground: the Dripping Pan. That’s our passion. So far, it's working’
SEASON’s founder and Editor in Chief Felicia Pennant talked through her ethos: that participation in football needs to be widened beyond those playing into the media, coaching and business. She hopes the zine is exploring perspectives across lines that don’t cross often enough – age, race, class and ability – and allowing potential fans to engage with star players on a human level. Pointing to important conversations with Eniola Aluko, and Lioness Leah Williamson and former Arsenal player Eartha Pond, she emphasised how conversations with women in and around the game are at the heart of what the zine, podcast and events do. ‘She's also great volunteer, she raised over £100k for Grenfell,’ explains Pennant about Pond’s inspirational activity off the pitch.‘She’s a big QPR fan.’ An advocate of a ‘one club’ outlook where fans supports all the teams their club have, Pennant hopes that all fans are encouraged to support their women’s teams, beyond the showpiece games at men’s grounds. ‘As a Chelsea fan, I've been really lucky that all our teams have been very successful, which makes it easier to support,’ says Pennant, referencing a game she had attended between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur women at Stamford Bridge. ‘I went into the changing room and they’d made it bespoke for the women. I thought, “This is great but it isn't their home ground. This is the men's home ground.” After the match they’re back at Kingsmeadow and the facilities comparatively aren't great. It's an awkward place to get to. It feels like a yo-yo.’
Community and how women’s football is more popular than ever before was at the heart of the discussion, taking in front of a live audience of football enthusiasts and those newly curious about the game at the new Second Home space overlooking Spitalfields. The panellists believed a tight knit feeling and balance is worth keeping. Dobres noted that they keep the Lewes team rooted (quite literally) near the club – with trips to The Rook Inn where players talk to fans and sign autographs. Khan pointed out out it isn’t just Match Of The Day and Lucozade bottles: ‘The grassroots movement keeps that passion that professional football, especially men's football, doesn't have anymore. I don't think it has that connection that it really should have – a personal connection that isn't an extortionate season ticket.’ Pennant again stressed keeping a personal connection when telling stories, rather than over media-trained athletes. ‘You need a little bit more from them, to get a 360 degree view. We want it to rise,’ she says.‘It’s really great to take them away from the pitch and get to see them as women; their likes, dislikes, their personalities. On our podcast I was talking about that connection with football, how they’re relating to it in a really creative way. When you hear stories in people's own voices, it makes for really nice conversation.’
Male ‘allyship’ was another point of discussion, with Barnett saying she wanted everybody to benefit from this movement and the work that UN Women is doing in the football space. An audience question raised issues with the idea of promoting male allies or centring men when there’s much work to be done between women to deconstruct the problems present in patriarchy.‘There are black and Asian women doing amazing stuff. Why is it that we’re pushing this male ally when we haven’t figured out gender equality between white women and non-white women?’ A great point and one that stretches across the game and industries.
The women’s game is not free of racism. When Aluko called out Mark Sampson’s racism in the Lionesses squad, it cost her an international career. She only received an apology from the FA following three rounds of investigation, three years later. Tottenham defender Renee Hector was racially abused by Sheffield United's Sophie Jones during a Championship match in January 2019.
On the business side, the 2018/19 Sport England ‘Diversity In Governance’ report found that while women now make up an average 40% of board members across Sport England and UK Sport funded bodies, slower progress was made in terms of BAME people on boards. On average it’s 5% of board members, falling behind FTSE 100 firms (8% BAME board membership), third sector (6% BAME board membership) and UK population (13% BAME).
Outside football, Resolution Foundation’s 2018 study into Britain’s race pay gap found that among female graduates, black women faced the biggest pay penalty, of £1.62 an hour (9% less).
‘We’re starting to get more diverse women on the pitch, but we're not getting more diverse women in decision making roles,’ Barnett said. ‘So we're not designing the process in a way that has designers that are diverse. I think you're never going to design something that reflects the real makeup of society if you don't have the makeup of society behind the camera and in the financial roles.’ In order for football to lead the way in gender equality it needs to be honest about these failings and make change now. Black and Asian women such as Pennant and Khan are working on their own projects, often self-financed to make sure stories are told and that inclusive spaces are there but existing agencies with a voice like UN Women, along with clubs and brands, have the responsibility and hiring power. Diversity – race, age, ability – is needed on the pitch, but also behind the camera, in production meetings, campaigning, health research and beyond. It shouldn’t just be some women winning in football.
The takeaways
Women’s Football is growing in popularity but this needs to include all levels, from grassroots to the WSL. Clubs like Chelsea and players like UN ambassador Marta Viera da Silva are as important as Lewes FC, tournaments like Playing for Kicks and organisations like Yuwa.
Frustration with existing structures has led to women forming their own initiatives. Some women may not feel welcome at existing football events for a number of reasons – previous bad experiences, not drinking alcohol, no family connection. Community outreach at clubs like Lewes and Romance FC as well as inclusive SEASON events can counteract this.
Personal connections and fun keep women coming back to the game. This needs to be maintained through quality journalism and coverage that shares players and fans personalities.
Funding is key as is long-term sustainable support. This could be through investment in facilities specific to women’s needs, coaching, fitness and health research alongside outreach like the UN’s One Win Leads To Another programme.
There’s no point in saying you’re for gender equality if that doesn’t include non-white women. Racism in football is real and women need to lead the change at all levels to build diverse teams on the pitch and in the boardroom.
Host
Elles Pinfold, On The One @ontheoneagency
Panellists
Claire Barnett, UN Women UK Exec Director @unwomen
Karen Dobres, Lewes FC @karendobres @lewesfcwomen
Amina Khan, Romance FC @romance.fc
Felicia Pennant, SEASON zine @feliciapennant @season_zine
UN Women UK x On The One are pleased to present a new t-shirt designed by Aimee Capstick for Active Listening. This one-off love-filled illustration encompasses the intersecting themes of football, mutual support, equality, community and hope.
Words SIAN ROWE @sianrowe_
Graphics TEXAS MARAGH @texas.ldn