Recent years have seen a worldwide growth in women’s football. There are approximately 40 million female players worldwide and the prediction by FIFA is that by 2010 there will be as many women playing football in the world as men. Makudi Worawi (FIFA Chairperson for the Committee for Women’s football) stresses the need for this trend to continue ‘It is the duty of FIFA and all of our football family to do everything in its power to promote a world of social equality where every women has an opportunity to enjoy playing football, as the beautiful game is meant for all’. Despite this aim the fact remains that it has been identified internationally that women and girls are negatively discriminated against and are disadvantaged by a variety of barriers in football.

Identifying these barriers in football may help to make more people aware of them and therefore address them. Certainly verbal and sexual harassment, put-downs through jokes, incorrect assumptions of their abilities and innuendo are far too common. These types of discrimination are then often reinforced through the negative promotion of women’s and girls’ football, in particular the portrayal of women’s and girls’ football as an inferior version of men’s game. Both men and women must learn to recognise and acknowledge each other’s differences and be equally proud of them.
It is important to celebrate diversity, it is vital that the individual talent, skills and knowledge of both sexes are recognised and appreciated equally for what they can offer to sport.

What should our club be doing to ensure that they are not promoting sexism?