In 2023, is Football a Women’s Game?
Football is a boy’s sport. With just 29 million of the estimated 275 million (registered) players worldwide being girls, it’s obvious that women just aren’t made for such a manly sport. At least, this is how young women are made to feel. From birth, gender roles and stereotypes are forced onto you; girls are expected to play with dolls and not partake in sport, and even if they are athletically gifted, they are expected to apply those skills to a ‘girls’ sport such as dancing, gymnastics or netball.
The sexism in football isn’t hidden - first making itself glaringly apparent in the distinction between ‘footballers’ and ‘women footballers,’ which barely scratches the surface of the extensive and entrenched nature of the issue. FIFA World Cup vs FIFA Women's World Cup. UCL vs UWCL. It’s a constant reminder of everything women have to endure in order to be allowed to even engage in the sport billions around the globe play and love. Western Springs Association Football Club (WSAFC), a club that I play at, is just one of many clubs around the world that treat their male and female players differently, even if it’s not immediately visible to the untrained eye.
WSAFC was founded in 1989, and is an Auckland-based club that has been chosen to be one of the training grounds for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Recently, there was an article in NZ Herald talking about the mass exodus of senior female players at the club and the firing of the head of women’s football, Ryan Faithfull. The article notes that the highest-paid senior female squad members received $50 a week to cover expenses, while they believed men’s players were paid nearer to $400. The players told the Herald that they weren’t necessarily asking for money and pay rises, but comparable opportunities and resources to match top women’s teams at other clubs in Auckland. The women highlighted that they don’t receive consistent physio, nor do they have a strength and conditioning coach like the men do.
After this article came out, all WSAFC players received an email from the club. This email was also posted on the WSAFC website. As a WSAFC player myself, I read this email and was shocked by some of the statements made. WSAFC ‘want to assure all members that the Club is completely committed to the women’s game and a long term plan to develop the girls’ and women’s program.’ The club would also ‘like to stress that there are a significant number of incorrect facts, figures and statements in the article around funding, physio, strength and conditioning and assistant coaches.’ They are committed to the girl’s and women’s program, but fired the head of women’s football, Ryan Faithfull - who also happened to be the coach of the premier Women’s team - for siding with the women.
I joined WSAFC last year, but this may be mine, and many other women’s, last season playing for Springs. I already know of girls who have quit because of unfair treatment, and until WSAFC steps up the girl’s and woman’s game, there will be further losses. From less pay, to worse equipment, the difference in treatment between men and women is blatantly obvious. It’s 2023; and yet, WSAFC still seems to believe women shouldn’t be given the same opportunities as men. I, amongst many others, want to see a change in the treatment of women in football. It’s not just WSAFC that has failed to support the growing demand of women players; most clubs around the world don’t seem to understand that we can play football too. Is this really the message we want to send girls? That the game is a dead-end for them?
Small changes, like equal turns on the best fields for practise, to make the biggest difference. Although I believe WSAFC doesn’t support girls playing football as much as they should, I hope to be proven wrong in the near future. Football is a sport made to be enjoyed by everyone, not just boys.
The author wished to remain anonymous.