Women in Football contacts all 92 clubs in anti-sexism campaign

Wednesday 26 Nov 2014
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Campaigners have contacted all 92 Premier League and Football League clubs in a bid to tackle sexist abuse in the game.

Women in Football, backed by the Football Association, has written to every club with recommendations to highlight a series of issues which occur particularly on match days.

The organisation conducted a survey earlier this year which found that 66 per cent of women employed in football had witnessed sexism in the workplace.

A spokesperson for the WiF Board said: “Women in Football believe that every female employee in the football industry has the right to go about their working lives without being targeted for discriminatory abuse or sexual harassment.

“WiF hope that by working with football authorities and clubs, we can bring about a greater understanding of the barriers that women in the industry routinely face.

“We urge all those involved to take these first steps towards acknowledging the experiences of their female employees, and adopting proactive measures to tackle the issue of sexism in the game.”

The advice to clubs includes briefing stewards and security staff on match days as to what to look out for and how to deal with it; highlighting the importance of reporting sexist abuse and discrimination; publicising the reporting mechanisms by which complaints can be made; and featuring interviews or profiles of inspirational female employees in match day programmes to demonstrate a club’s commitment to equal opportunities for women.

WiF has been logging incidents this season and has recorded complaints of crowd abuse aimed at female employees, including medical staff, match officials and media representatives, at all levels of the game.

An FA spokesperson said: “The FA takes all forms of discrimination seriously and tackling sexism is integral to our work. We encourage reporting of sexism wherever possible either directly via the FA, via the Kick It Out app or other avenues, such as Women in Football.

“We’re currently in the vanguard of some exciting work around gender equality, raising the profile of women in key roles across the game and championing women’s leadership roles.

“Working collaboratively with the football bodies and organisations like Women in Football, the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation and Kick It Out, will ensure this work has substance and impact.”

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