Yahoo News Women's sport could lose decade of progress in one 'invisible summer'
The government and major governing bodies have been warned that a decade of progress in women’s sport is at risk if they do not urgently address a virtually “invisible” summer of competition.
While Premier League football will make its comeback in June and men’s rugby and cricket are both making plans to return, women’s football, rugby and netball have all had their seasons cancelled. Women's cricketers and hockey players are also still waiting to see what is left of scheduled internationals.
There has been no elite women’s team sport since March 14 and, with the size of a broadcast deal seemingly the key driver in whether a sport resumes, there is no immediate prospect of a return.
In Germany, by contrast, the women’s Bundesliga is due to resume on Saturday and there also plans in the United States for women’s football to resume next month.
“We are already seeing worrying patterns emerge and a potential scenario where women’s sport returns to being undervalued, underfunded and invisible,” said Stephanie Hilborne, the chief executive of Women in Sport. “The cancellation of these competitions not only affects the athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers that work within them, it disappoints thousands of fans who would have watched games on TV and online.
“Most vitally of all, it gives totally the wrong signal to women and girls throughout the country who might have been inspired to start playing sport. We must remember as well that it is the visibility of women’s sport that helps to inform the expectations that girls have for their lives. We face a summer where women’s sport will almost be invisible.”
Lockdown research on levels of physical activity in England has already shown that an existing gender gap has been widening and, with the Premier League set to dominate the broadcast schedule, there is now mounting concern that the lack of visible elite women role models will have a further detrimental effect. Maggie Murphy, the general manager of Lewes FC, said that women’s sport had “missed a huge opportunity to open up to huge brand new audiences” this summer.
Other leaders and campaigners have called on decision-makers to adopt a "parity principle" and to always consider the consequences for women’s sport when they make decisions about what competitions are salvaged.
Women’s rugby was hit by a further massive blow this week when, with the women’s Premier 15s season having already been declared void, sponsors Tyrrells announced that they would be ending their sponsorship of the competition. Investec, whose sponsorship has been so crucial to women’s hockey, also announced in April that they would be ending their nine-year partnership.
Around half of netball’s operating income is currently at risk and it was decided this week that it was not financially viable to complete the Superleague, which was declared null and void.
Rugby League, whose northern heartlands so swung to voting for the Conservative Party at the 2019 General Election, are so far the only sport to have received a government bailout loan, and the men’s game are developing plans to resume the Super League this summer.
Lisa Wainwright, the chief executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, called for equality from governing bodies in how men’s and women’s sports are treated. “If you are going to make a decision in elite level sport, there should be the equal level principle decision in the women’s game,” she said. “You should treat them the same. Parity of decision making is absolutely critical. If you look at the impact of showcasing, whether it be the [women’s] football, netball or hockey, and the trends of us doing well in elite competition and the profile in the media, participation starts to consistently increase as the role models come through.
“There will definitely be an impact if we don’t have parity in terms of access to competition at an elite level. It will be a real shame to lose that last 10 years of progress.”
Women in Sport have been writing to major governing bodies to urge them to make their community programmes for women, as well as their elite women’s game, central to crisis recovery plans. Hilborne said that “strong leadership” was needed to prevent women’s sport from being the first place to suffer cuts. “After so much progress, women’s sport could find itself back at square one as finances and media coverage plummet,” she said. “If there isn’t any women’s sport taking place how can it possibly generate income? The UK should do better and make every effort to ensure women’s sport not only recovers but thrives after lockdown. Let’s do the right thing as we go into this uncharted territory of a post-lockdown world.”
Research by the Youth Sports Trust has already demonstrated that girls are disproportionately impacted by an inactivity crisis among young people, and that a gender gap which is already evident by the age of seven then widens through adolescence.
They have also found during lockdown that more than a third of children are doing less activity and that one in ten children are getting no physical activity at all. “We also know that some of the key enablers of physical activity in girls are physical competence, self-confidence, role models and the ability to play with friends,” said Ali Oliver, the chief executive of the Youth Sports Trust.
“Without girls having access to sessions which build competence and confidence, or group activity and team sports, there is a real risk that this disparity between boys and girls will increase. It is vital the progress that has been made does not slip.”
