Changing the social views: making football Her Game Too
"Women's opinion on football = invalid"
"You only go to football for male attention."
"Go back to the kitchen. Go back home. You really don't belong here."
These are just a few of the comments or, more accurately, sexist statements that the #HerGameToo campaign ambassadors and founders have been listening to for years now. Sadly, these are not isolated cases of misogynistic abuse.
"There must be something in the air because quite a lot of people seem to be facing that, which is really sad. We shouldn't be. We shouldn't be facing this at all at any point", said Laura Hartley, Her Game Too ambassador for Coventry City FC.
91.9 per cent of 371 women polled by the campaign have witnessed online sexist abuse, with 63.1 per cent having experienced it personally. But it doesn't simply stop there. As many as 58.4 per cent of participants have personally suffered abuse while watching a game at a football stadium or at a pub.
And these are just the results of the survey conducted by the campaign. The actual numbers of verbal abuse cases are unknown, but one sure thing is that sexism towards female football fans is still very much real in the 21st century.
The rise of social media has placed women in an even more challenging environment to voice an opinion on the matters of football "that any other male would be able to make without the bat of an eyelid".
The safe space of the micro-communities
Laura has been a Coventry City fan since a young age, and her initial love for the game sparked because of her father, who took her to the football matches of the club. She was announced the ambassador of the Sky Blues just a month ago when the club started their partnership with the campaign. Laura took the important position having seen the need of creating a safe space for female supporters of any age.
"We're creating kind of groups where we can meet up together as female fans before the match, and it's that sort of community field. I guess it's the safety in numbers, things you don't feel alone in, and you feel safer.
We want to feel more accepted and experience less of those sexist comments."
Unfortunately, these micro-communities that bring the female fans together can only offer more understanding among the women and the challenges they face daily.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither can people's opinions be changed so quickly. Of course, these women want to be integrated, to be more inclusive and to feel included, but having like-minded females to share with is the first step that the campaigners have taken to provide a sense of acceptance.
"I think that's just the start. And I don't think that's the end game at all, to just have selected groups of females, because it's not going to work.
The first hurdle is getting us all together and making sure that we all feel safe to voice our opinions to each other in a safe space between other women and knowing that we're not alone because I think it can feel really isolating if you are on social media, and you're the only one facing abuse at that time", said Laura.
The social media
Social media has certainly exacerbated the sexism and abuse towards the female fandom of men's football, with thousands of comments and posts questioning women's authenticity as supporters and their commitment to the games.
But the Internet is also a place for positive change to start taking place. The campaigners make use of social platforms to announce when a Her Game Too dedicated match is happening next and also to make themselves more visible.
"That's the first biggest step; making people aware because when we make those next steps in whatever we do, in whatever events that we plan in the future, people will know at least who we are."
Changing the social views: making football everybody's game
It should have never been about trying to become "one of the lads" to fit in the world of men's football. It's not just a man's game. It's everybody's game.
There is a long history of women in football, like when for example, they weren't allowed to play it. But the law has been changed.
"Most of the football supporters know that there is also a women's team representing every Premier League football club. If women could find their place on the pitch, then they have a place in the audiences as well.", said Georgi Rusev, sales representative at Leicester City FC.
Yet, it is still a case of trying to change the opinions of male fans. Education can play a key role in tackling these issues, but they are not often talked about in schools. And it is not all about football and who is the most authentic fan; there are still so many different kinds of social views that we have to take into consideration.
"It's not just raising awareness; it's educating as well. They are completely both intertwined. And that's something that makes the job, I guess, a little bit harder, but it's so worth it when you see young lads of about 12 or 13, that go to the football matches with their mates and are wearing our t-shirts", said Laura.
For just ten months since it was founded, the Her Game Too campaign has achieved a lot in eradicating sexism in the football industry. They have developed strong relationships with club trusts and communities and created a more welcoming environment for young girls and women.
"It's things like that, and you get dads messaging and saying, I'm taking my little girl up for the first time, and you're really encouraging her to go and get into the football. And it's things like that that just makes it all worth it."