Women’s football is supposedly thriving with over 1.6 million women and girls playing, yet it is still suffering from its masculine stereotype. Does this traditionally male sport need a make over to ensure it reaches new heights? Rebecca Cosby reports.
The England football team are on the cusp of becoming one of the finest footballing nations having peaked in recent years. Quarter finalists in the World Cup in 2007 and still in the competition to reach the 2009 European Cup after storming to the top of their group, not losing once and staking up an impressive goal tally. Consistency is brimming at the heart of this team. Unfortunately this is not the England men’s football team. Consistency was almost certainly what gave it away, no these statistics belong to that of the forgotten heroes, the Women’s team.
International glory seems like a distant glimmer of hope for the men’s team, extinguished for the near future after they crashed out of Euro 2008 to a hearty Croatia side thriving in all the places England was lacking. Yet the women are still battling to count themselves among the best in Europe and if they achieve it, it would certainly earn them glory.
The women have the perfect opportunity to steal some of the limelight from under the noses of the men and make people take note of the age old battle of the sexes, because with the form the ladies are in at the moment under the managerial prowess of Hope Powell it could be a close call. Yet the real question is will people be watching?
Women’s football according to the Football Association is in some kind of a renaissance, thriving at all levels. This is true in part, but still problems are brewing. The highest level of the game will inevitably heavily affect the running of the grassroots level and at the moment it is not getting the coverage it so desperately craves.
Sue Smith, long running England favourite and BBC correspondent says, “I think that there is always room for improvement and until the women’s game at the highest level is promoted in a more positive way and gets bigger exposure then the grassroots will suffer.”
[i]Young people are extremely susceptible to role models, but there is a serious lack of accessible role models in women’s football, so is it not worrying that the most high profile women in football are the wives and girlfriends of the men’s team or so they have been dubbed the WAGs? Names like Cheryl Cole, Colleen McLoughlin and Victoria Beckham roll off the tongue, but really it should be the names of Karen Carney, Kelly Smith and Rachel Yankey.
Arsenal striker and F.A Young Player of the Year in 2004/05 and 2005/06, Carney, is optimistic that in the future the outlook will alter though, “If we continue to play well and change the media view then the image of the game will change and hopefully sterotypical views will also change therefore the WAGs won’t be the only ones on the front or back pages it might be us lot.”
[ii]While Victoria Beckham has been ‘singing’ on tour with the Spice Girls, the England ladies have been training relentlessly while keeping up full time jobs and helping their teams through campaigns for very little money and even less recognition.
This does not sound like a sport that is flourishing, completely the opposite really. While the glamorous wives of the men’s team hit the headlines and acquire top class treatment the women’s team are lucky to have their travel and accommodation paid for.
During the last World Cup England Ladies were reportedly paid £40 a day for their services. While the winners of the FA Women’s Cup get a mere £5,000 for their troubles.
[iii] Hardly enough to cover a lengthy seasons battle. Women’s football is not always glamorous; it can be rough and tough. Perhaps this is part of the problem.
Living in a society, which depends so highly on looking attractive, female sports have suffered. Women are expected to look after their appearance and endeavour to appear their best. While this does not worry some, it inevitably does entice a large amount of women. Magazines, television and film all portray images and stereotypes of women who look ‘perfect’.
The body is used to sell a lifestyle to normal people on a daily basis. Magazines like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Heat, and even teenage magazines like Sugar expose women who fit this bill. Told day in day out what is supposedly socially ‘attractive’ it’s little wonder women give into the demands and preen themselves to fit the guidelines of what it is to be feminine.
The 21st century is the glamorous home of an image conscious society drawn easily into believing what the majority tell them. And so a battle rages between femininity and sport. It is seen at times that to play sport is to disregard femininity. From a school age boys are pushed to play sports but girls not so much, for this reason a culture has brewed that makes it challenging for girls to retain their femininity (if they want to) and still play sport. Instead they are branded as tomboys or lesbians for playing merely a game. A nonsensical idea.
These labels can have a strong effect on women in sport. Many have turned away from sporting activity to prevent these catcalls. Every playground is laced with the sport debate. It is difficult for girls to have the confidence to play football with the opposite sex at times.
The boundaries are far greater for women, but it should not be a struggle to play sport. Natalie Huntley, the Women’s and Girl’s Football Development Officer for the London FA, says, “I think in general, taking part in sport is not seen as a feminine thing to do.”
[iv]Sports, especially team ones do not fit the bill. The outfits are by no means flattering, its difficult, sweaty and perhaps not ladylike. Jim White, a regular writer for the Daily Telegraph says, “Particularly it's a problem for teenaged girls who become very anti-sport because of their self-consciousness. Football is an easier sell to teenagers than many traditional girls sports because boys play it too. But it's still tough to get them in shorts and shin pads and boots.”
[v]While Jen O’Neill, the Editor of Fair Game, England’s leading women’s only football magazine looks to other factors that prevent girls from playing after school, candidly saying “Life takes over. The pub, boyfriends, work, kids. Maybe they can't be bothered with the effort involved in being part of a voluntary organisation - you have to get yourself there, maybe even help fundraise. School has everything laid on a plate. Some people are lazy. That's ok, that's their choice.”
[vi]The gender issue has always surrounded sport, much research has been undertaken to understand and bring change to the situation throughout the years. Its accessability has amassed huge debates, with the House of Lords taking action in an attempt to address it, and various organisations set up to tackle barriers surrounding sport, including the Women’s Sports Foundation.
In 1999 a ‘Young People and Sport’ survey uncovered some interesting facts concerning the younger generation and their involvement with sport. It found that boys define themselves as ‘sporty types’ considerably more than girls.
Furthermore girls care less about being successful at sport than boys, but they mind more about getting cold, wet, sweaty and dirty.
[vii] The analysis of adolescents is interesting as they make up the market of the next generation. This is who will be affected the most by changes in the way that sport is promoted.
The problems faced by women who wish to play sport are not refined. Bigger presumptions can me made. O’Neill reiterates this fact saying, “It's more than just a football issue. Is it not a social issue?”
[viii] Sport is a microcosm of society, mostly highlighting issues, which affect society on a whole. It seems that the issues that surround it are the same ones that affect everyday life.
Men and women are pushed to be masculine and feminine, and yes, it has decreased since the Victorian times in which women had to stay at home and men work but it is undeniable that traditions are still at play. To begin to change views of women is a tough and lengthy task. History does not change over night. So with such a wealth of background challenging girls from playing sport it is not surprising after school level it has been found that large amounts of girls stop playing.
Subsequently, if women are put off masculine sports like football because of people calling them names could a solution be to make the sport more feminine-friendly for want of a better word? Women shy away from sport because it is not entirely socially acceptable. Football especially has been branded as a masculine pastime. Most females have heard the words, “you can’t play football, because you’re a girl.” directed at them from the mouth of the lippy lad at school, while his comrades snigger.
As a result of its masculine traditions it has become difficult for women to pick up a ball and ignore the jibes. So it seems if football was promoted in women’s magazines and on female related television programmes it would be more socially acceptable. A simple enough idea in theory.
Body image is so important in society today and so by promoting the game to women in a more glamorous light they may be more likely to play. At this point in time the major view of women’s football is one that hosts masculine or gay women. This is far from the truth.
Instead various types of women play and this needs to be made clear. By promoting football to the masses as a beautiful game, women may be more interested. The fact is young people are easily drawn into playing sports that are ‘cool’. If football is popular in school and chess is not, then most of the children will inevitably play football. This notion sadly does not always change in adulthood. And if someone tells you otherwise, they are most probably lying.
Recently the women’s game has seen some changes. The 2005 UEFA Women's Championship hosted by England managed to draw in respectable crowds. The opening match attracted a substantial 29,092 spectators, and on top of that 2.9 million people watched live on BBC2. Overall the tournament drew in a grand 115,816 fans at 15 matches. The problem was England crashed out before the knock out stage, which could have increased the interest further.
On top of that England now uses both the men and women’s team to launch their new kits and more games are shown on television than ever before. The sport has come a long way since its uneasy start.
The first recorded women’s football match was way back in 1895, showcasing the rivalry between the north and south. The north thrashed them 7-1. At the start of women’s football the most notable team around were the Dick Kerr’s ladies. One of their games attracted a massive 53,000 spectators, the Arsenal Ladies would revere at that figure now.
Nonetheless soon after the early triumph women’s football was showcasing the FA swept in and banned it in 1921, the reason given (best read in a pompous voice), "Complaints have been made as to football being played by women, the council feel impelled to express their strong opinion that the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."
[ix] Since this time interest in women’s football was shown to decrease, all the hard work put in was swept away in an instance. And so an uphill battle was on the cards for the women to take a hold of the game themselves. It took until 1969 for the Women’s FA to be formed and another 50 years for the FA to revoke the ban.
The first official women’s international was played against Scotland in 1972, but it took until 1991 for the first WFA league to be created. Throughout the 1990s the FA finally took on the women’s game, transforming the face of it, establishing a women’s football committee and took over responsibility for the national side. A huge step in the right direction, but still more needs to be done.
After a promising start the 50-year snag the game suffered could have hit its development hard. If those years had not been wiped out the game could theoretically, sans the flying cars and robots be where it will now be in 2058. If only we could teleport into the future to determine whether the game would be as accepted as the men’s. But unfortunately this is impossible. And so we can only wonder.
Now in 2008 the game is without a doubt on the rise with reports showing that in 2005 there were over 8,000 11-a-side girls’ teams in England.
[x] But these changes are not happening nearly quickly enough. Its long running stigma is proving a thorn in the games side. Stunting its growth somewhat.
Yet there are obvious problems faced by glamorising football and denying the fact that masculine women may play and that lesbians partake in the sport that can have repercussions. Does it then give the impression that only ‘pretty’ girls can play? This should not be the case. Further to that it could isolate the women who already play and are happy with the set up.
Sport has become a platform for gay women to feel at home, Susan Cahn, author of Coming on Strong says, “Mid century lesbian athletes found that athletic life facilitated the individual process of coming to terms with homosexual desires as well as the collective process of forging community ties among gay women.”
[xi]It is undeniable that women’s football has become a haven for gay women. Yet this does not prevent other types of females from participating also. This is the area where the sport is failing. Balancing the sport and making it accessible to all types of women is a huge task. At this point in time it is struggling with its identity. But by promoting the game to the masses, getting the players into magazines, building up advertising campaigns in female saturated markets then women will feel more inclined to play.
It should not be an alien concept for females to pick up a ball. Instead of seeing skinny celebrities in popular magazines there should be interviews with sporting stars who promote a healthy lifestyle. By doing so women will become accustomed to these images. Once the public see that the players are ordinary women they are likely to be more attracted to the game. Football is more diverse than is let on but stereotypes have far reaching affects. It is not always aggressive and powerful, it can be elegant and graceful.
Increasingly though the images associated with the sport have become more feminine, a move that has boosted its appeal to a wider range of females. The national success of the book, Three Lions On Her Shirt, helped to show the public a different side to the sport and the international success of Bend It Like Beckham boosted its image globally. Hollywood came calling and most probably boosted participation levels over night, with the help of Kiera Knightly and co. The film showcased various types of teenagers playing the game. Especially important was that it showcased women joining a club and making something out of themselves.
While the film represented the players in a positive way, not belittling the sport. There is a subtle but important difference between glamorising the game to appeal to a wider audience, making women feel as if they can play but at the same time keep hold of their feminism and using the female form in a disdainful way. This is where the problems arose with the comments made by FIFA president Sepp Blatter a few years back.
Blatter caused a stir when he said that women players should be made to wear "tighter shorts", adding "female players are pretty, if you excuse me for saying so."
[xii] While Lennart Johansson remarked: "There are so many companies who could make use of the fact that if you see a girl playing on the ground, sweaty, with the rainy weather and coming out of the dressing-room, lovely looking, that would sell."
[xiii] Their comments only fuelled an already controversial debate.
Indeed the media’s coverage of the 1999 Women’s World Cup final is all too telling of this problem. Brandi Chastain was thrust into the media limelight due to her penalty, which won the cup for America against China. Yet the image depicted over most newspapers was of her on her knees, having taken off her top, leaving a Nikes sports bra. Good marketing for Nike, but not for the women’s game.
Men’s viewing of female sport is important for its success also. Pat Griffin, author of Gender and Sport rightly does ignore the other half of the population, she says “Women’s sports, to be successful, have to be attractive to men as well as women viewers.”
[xiv] Female participation has been viewed as a threat to male domination, and so mocking of female sexuality has ensued by many quarters. If a female is not attractive, then to many they are classed as a lesbian. Griffin adds, “these manifestations have developed at the same time that women’s sport has become more visible, potentially marketable, and increasingly under the control of men and men’s sport organisations.”
[xv] Dil Porter, a lecturer at DeMontford University says, “Women in team sports more often played by men tend to be represented as unusual in some way; it’s as if they were doing something that was unexpected. Good-looking women, for example Sarah Potter, an England bowler got more attention than most, but on the lines of ‘she’s feminine AND she can play cricket!’ as if the two things were normally incompatible.”
[xvi] There is a great need to link the two, to show that they can co-exist instead of being complete opposites.
To suggest image does not dictate much in sport is a naïve insinuation. The human form can boost magazine sales, products and sports. Role models are fashioned and broadcast globally to fans, promoting participation and coverage of sports. Even the men’s game is subject to objectification. Look at David Beckham, and the Georgio Armani advert that most probably made women’s hearts flutter around the world. Many individuals in sport have posed and sold themselves to magazines and companies to further their careers. The fact that this happens is not new, it’s a by-product of a world absolutely set upon advertisement.
Football agent, Rachel Anderson, says, “"David Beckham is attractive and will earn more than somebody with a good left foot but doesn't turn heads. It sounds terrible but it's fact. But you can also be attractive by being fit. The fitness gives you an aura. Many players don't want to be on a magazine but it can extend your working life by 25%.”
[xvii] This is the area that the women’s game is lacking. The media interest is not as high as it needs to be to garner attention. Anderson adds, "And with financial freedom comes freedom to improve your game. You can't expect them to play their best if they have another job."
The women’s game is not professional and so the players have to juggle the sport and the game, which results in their form not being as high-quality as the men who are able to dedicate their entire life to football.
In men’s sport, sex appeal is an added bonus but not the primary reason for them to be given media coverage. This however, does not apply to their female counterparts.
While today women have the rights they were denied a century ago they are still marginalised in the sporting arena.
Within newspapers a mere 6% of coverage is given to female athletes. It is a vicious cycle. Without the media attention they will not get more support, but more often than not the press are trivial about their success.
Yet over the years the face of female sport has dramatically shifted as the ideologies of society have progressed. It has previously suffered from a lack of representation, but in recent times development has occurred. Individual sports such as tennis, golf and athletics have proven more successful in the media. Providing stars such as Maria Sharapova, Michelle Wie and Paula Radcliffe, who all promote femininity, either through their body type or their family orientation.
However there lies a gap between this and team sports. Still sexism exists and media coverage of women’s football is lacking in the UK. Team sports are male dominated and seen as masculine, thus females are excluded.
The sports women who are seen as ‘female’ like Maria Sharapova, have got backing not only because they are good at their sport but also because they look good. She is glamorous and seen in many magazines and events. This is an attractive quality to both men and women. Tactics is such a huge part of sport that is it really that hard to believe that they may need to be used to promote the sport too? O’Neill doesn’t see a problem with this, on one condition, saying, “As long as it didn't compromise the people or the quality of the game.”
[xviii]The trouble is that women’s football is being pulled in different directions, like a tug of war it could self-destruct and leave everyone on the floor. The players are unwilling to suggest selling themselves is worthy of their time and point to a summer league as the solution, the FA rattle off statistics that do propose that women’s football is the largest played sport in England, but then the public are at odds with these views, seeing only the stereotypical women footballer. This suggests that the right image is not being promoted. With so many differing visions of how to take the game forward it has become stranded in a limbo like state, unable to reach new heights.
The players believe the introduction of a new summer league will draw new audiences and by bringing home some silverware the England team may garner the much-needed support of the country. Yet this might not be the case if history dictates. The Arsenal Ladies team are ridiculously successful. Silverware lines their days of old. Winning the quadruple last year, even Manchester United cannot boast of that success. Yet people aren’t recognising this.
Not only that but other sports have shown the same tendency. The public are unfortunately fickle at the best of times, winning a lucrative trophy will most probably earn them wide applause and support, most probably even the BBCs Sports team of the year award, but then this will soon fade and be swept under the carpet again.
Porter, says, “If England Women were to win a major championship it would probably be the same – a short-lived flurry of attention and then back into the box marked ‘minority interest’.”
[xix]More needs to be done to keep the backing of the country, with so many other sports out there to watch the women’s game needs to do more to grab hold of and then keep press and public attention. England has a very short attention span. Like a new outfit, once worn a couple of times loses its charm and is discarded for the next new purchase.
Porter adds, “Anything that women might achieve is regarded as a minor compensation when England is performing badly at various men’s team sports. There’s no sense that what women might achieve could be truly comparable.”
[xx]The USA on the other hand hosts a more successful women’s league. Unlike England the game does not have to compete with the men’s. It is easier to market in the USA as football is not the dominate male sport.
Sue Smith says, “There isn’t the stigma attached to the sport like there is in this country - football is traditionally a male sport whereas in the US it is just seen as a sport that anyone can play as long as you are athletic you can achieve high levels. I think it will take a few more years if we are even close to ridding ourselves of the stereotypical women’s football player.”
[xxi]O’Neill adds, “They don't have the same soccer culture as us, hence history doesn't tell them that women are rubbish at it. They have college scholarships worth thousands available and there is stiff competition and so soccer is a serious sport.”
[xxii]The fact that womens football here could learn a trick or two from America has been recognised by many researchers and writers alike, it is far from a new finding, but yet the problem still pervades, “Women’s football in England has yet to gain a positive high profile and remains a distinctively unglamorous sport, especially when compared to the United States….the issue of how to present the female player, live or televised, to a fee-paying public is one current issue affected by this interpretation of difference.”
[xxiii] Jean Williams says in her book, A Game For Rough Girls.
Whatever way the powers that be decide to promote the game and veer it into a new step one thing is for sure; the media will always have a say as to whether it will work.
Arsenal player, Anita Asanti says, “The media have a fundamental part to play in how women’s football is presented and can market the game in whatever way they see fit. Women are still feminine and glamorous regardless of playing football. Women's football is not marketed or magnified to the same extent as other high profile sports so, society has no real perspective about the players that play the game and how we look in terms of the every day scheme of things.”
[xxiv] Porter too sees the media as vital to women’s football rise, “The media dictates the sports agenda so its influence would be critical if women’s football was to move from the backwater to the mainstream. It’s not impossible – especially if the English women’s team was successful – but it’s hard to envisage a situation when it would receive parity of treatment with the men’s game.”
[xxv]It is important to promote women’s sport though, whether it is football or not. There are huge implications of females rejecting sport. A 2007 study by the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation, involving 350,000 people produced shocking discoveries over the state of female sport and exercise.
It found that 23% of women say PE put them off sport and two in five girls feel self-conscious about their bodies in lessons. In addition to this a quarter of women agreed with the statement "I hate the way I look when I exercise or play sport", while 80% of women are not doing enough exercise.
[xxvi]Sue Tibballs, the Chief Executive of the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation says “Women, it seems, are more interested in passive beauty and they seem to think that the way to achieve that is by dieting. Few of them see sport or exercise as a way of achieving the beauty they want. In fact, most women think of sport as a masculine activity that would make them more unattractive.”
[xxvii]By promoting the game in line with that of the general public sees fit the game could get a much-needed boost. It seems women’s football needs a real kick (excuse the pun) to lift its growing appeal. The FA are doing what they can at grassroots level, but the highest level needs to be promoted to show girls that they can create a long term career out of it.
It is not a sport that girls have to stop playing after school. Anderson believes what is needed is “aggressive and positive marketing." The best players must step up and be the game. There is little point in begrudging the lack of attention women’s football receives if the games main players shy away from the media spot light. Anderson adds, "Unless they are the best at kicking a ball you'll be hard pushed to get the sponsorship.”
[xxviii] At the moment the women’s game in England does not have celebrities that transcend it. In men’s football there’s David Beckham, cricket has Freddie Flintoff, and rugby hosts Johnny Wilkinson. All big sports have them, global stars, which have become household names and transcend the boundary of the sport, and become role models, sending out the message to a global audience. Women’s football craves this, USA hosts Mia Hamm, and Brazil is the home of the illustrious Marta, arguably the best female footballer. Kelly Smith is the nearest England has to this.
So it seems until the likes of Kelly Smith and Rachel Yankey thrust themselves into the media spotlight they will not get the sponsorship deals and TV airtime the game needs. Smith has openly admitted to shy away from attention. This needs to change for the good of the game.
More needs to be done to put the players on the pages of magazines and on billboards, making it impossible for the public to ignore. Anderson says,” They know what makes the world go round. They've just got to work to get that appearance money and sponsorship."
[xxix] Asanti seconds this, saying “To be honest there is not nearly enough promotion of women’s football. There are so many positive role models in the sport, players that juggle their work, parenting, studies with football- many intelligent and committed people involved in the sport that deserve recognition.”
As to how to promote the game, Asanti points to various ways, “Players could even be part of some adverts regarding sport or anything, after all that is how household names are built. Documentaries about women’s football at prominent clubs or even at grass roots could be made to show the realities of the game that people are also not aware of. You would be surprised by the amount of people that think players are part of the 4x4 club.”
[xxx]Role models are a crucial part of selling the game to the public, Carney admits though, “When i was growing up i wanted to be Beckham or Giggs, all male fotballers. It would have been good to say i want to be Rachel Yankey or Kelly Smith or Alex Scott. Then with role models we can perhaps attract media attention.”
[xxxi]The women’s game is one that has an enigmatic existence, not enough has been done to get people to take notice and so many successes have been wiped under the carpet. The game has suffered from its on again off again flight into turning professional.
Asanti says, “If women’s football was professional players would train everyday and their standards would increase in general, especially in areas of tactical and technical football ability. Once an elite level of football is established and balanced out domestically, the overall scope of the game is instantly more marketable. That for me is the bottom line.”
[xxxii]The women’s game has a world of its own full of talent and brilliance unknown to large amounts of the public. It lacks significant advertisement, promotion, money and thus support. Help will not be given to its leading ladies until the sport is given a much needed shake up, leaving behind its masculine roots and coming out the other side rejuvenated.
With the proposals of a summer league the change could not come at a better time. Posters, adverts and sponsorships could be used to thrust these women into the spotlight, broadcasting this new look football. Especially in the wake of the men’s failure. At the moment all women’s competitions are branded so, for example the women’s Football World Cup, the women’s Rugby World Cup and the Women’s County Championship in cricket. This needs to change.
Women’s football is in the hunt for a new voice, one which will be heard and taken seriously. They can play.
By glamorising the game and giving it a sleeker image, one that is not masculine and bears a similarity to the men’s, the women’s sport will not be compared and instead be viewed as something quite different and refreshing from the men.
Summer is coming and so too should the evolution of football. It is now time for the women to step up and be counted.
(references/interviews available)
