The Twleve Yards

In the most recent FIFPRO report about the present and future state of women's football, the research claimed that “women’s football presents in relative terms the biggest possibilities for the football industry in the years to come.” However, with the setbacks already being presented due to the current pandemic (classified in some circles as “existential threats) as well as a general reluctance from many clubs and businesses to take an active role in promoting the women's game, there is an underlying fear that this will only amount to unresolved potential. Despite this, there are a number of ways in which this period can be used to turn the bleak picture on its head and use the time to reflect, focus and improve on the main paths that can be taken to grow the game in a during and post coronavirus world. A prime example of such initiatives being put into action is through the self-reflection and feedback taken on by the FA Player. A survey was released to all subscribers

The FA Player recently streamed the World Cup Qualifier match against Kazakhstan whilst we are all at home waiting for a time when live football can resume. This match’s squad was led by the interim head coach Mo Marley, during another time of uncertainty and chaos after Mark Sampson’s sacking. This took place over allegations of safeguarding issues when he was at Bristol City as well as during the aftermath of Eni Aluko’s official complaint against him for racism and bullying. Throughout the match, the commentary could have been easily mistaken for one happening in the current situation (if matches were still being played). There were numerous discussions about who the new head coach appointment should be, and which factors should be the ones mostly taken into consideration during the selection process. What was mentioned time and time again was the fact that the candidate ultimately chosen should not be necessarily a woman, it should be the best person for the job. And then

A few months ago the situation we are currently in would have been unfathomable: the NHS coming under a strain of a magnitude never before see, workers earning minimum pay risking their lives daily, people not coming into physical contact with others for weeks on end whilst others put lives at risk by merely having a picnic at the park. On the peripheries of the crisis we are now in the midst of stands football, and even further in the outer rim (in the eyes of national and international football organisations) is the question of women’s football. Many other countries, Spain and Germany as the notable two, have already come to verdicts about the outcomes of the 2019/20 season for the top flight of women’s football. The FA however, is yet to make a decision about the fate of the WSL and Championship, along with the men’s professional tiers. Spain and Germany have taken two completely different paths in how to wrap up the season. Spain has decided to finish the season as it is,

Women’s football, both players and supporters, have created a unique atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion of the LGBT community over the past years. Where not too long ago the still looming shadow cast by the Section 28 UK anti-gay law was a reality, when even recently people believed the best way to grow the women’s game was to distance itself as much as possible from stereotypes including being open about sexuality, and where a decade ago there were no openly out players in the English national team, there now exists a close and co-beneficial relationship between women’s football and the LGBTQ+ community. There are four main pillars of openness that have contributed to the game growing parallel to a growth in openly out players and an LGBTQ+ fanbase: abundance, normalcy, visibility and acceptance. Abundance. There is always more safety in numbers, and this is no exception. The sheer volume of players that are open about being queer or in relationships with other women help