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WOMEN’S EUROS LEGACY

VISION INTERVIEWS THE UNIVERSITY’S WOMEN’S FOOTBALL CLUB ON THE IMPACT OF THE HISTORIC WIN

KATIE PRESTON (she/her)

@kxtieprxston

FOLLOWING THE HISTORIC match between England and Germany at the Women’s Euros 2022 this sum-

mer, Vision spoke to the Uni-

versity’s own female football team, asking them the importance of visibility in the sport, the impact of the win on women’s football, and the influence of gender in the game.

Speaking to Amy and Emily, the team’s President and Vice President respectively, Vision asked about the team’s initial reactions to the historic win:

“Having followed the whole tournament from the start, we IMAGE: LUKE SNELL were over the moon with the result from the final. Some of the girls celebrated in the grounds of Wembley and the rest celebrated from their hometowns with friends and family.

“Regardless, we can all say that despite how much of an emotional rollercoaster the match was, we haven’t smiled as much as we did that day in a while. 31st July 2022 will always be one to remember.”

With the final match having an unprecedented amount of viewers, Vision asked Amy and Emily what they believe the impact will be on women’s football:

“One thing that we can all agree on is that the English love winning, and as this doesn’t happen as often as it should, it means when we do it makes the occasion even more special.

“On the way back home from Wembley I overheard a conversation with two teenage boys talking about the match just in the way they would speak about men’s football. This included discussing who played well, formations and how they wished Sarina Wiegman would be their manager. For me, this small conversation meant so much.

“Speaking about the game in a respectful manner is starting to be normalised, therefore will inevitably have a positive impact on those wanting to partake in Women’s Football.”

Vision then asked the Women’s Football team about the impact of the Lionesses’ win on their own perception of the game:

“Within days of the final we received multiple emails from women of all ages asking whether we know of any opportunities for them to get involved locally. For many of our girls, those 90 minutes can be an escape from the challenges of the real world, and as a result most aim to carry on playing football, even after Uni.

“Many players within the Women’s Super League have shown that it is possible to carry on playing football despite having children, running businesses etc. The Lionesses’ win has further progressed the opportunities to get involved with the game, reducing accessibility being a barrier.”

Aa a sport that is usually male-dominated, Vision asked Amy and Emily about the gender stereotyping within football:

“Most female footballers will have some sort of story where they felt males were being treated differently to themselves within sport. For me, the first that came to mind was during PE in school - girls would play predominantly netball and boys played football. Rather than it being the same curricula for both groups of children, which would have been preferred.

“However, it is also important to recognise how much the inequality has reduced overtime. This is not something that will be solved overnight, but by increasing the funding and discussions, future generations wouldn’t think twice about depicting football as a “male sport”.

Something that is reflected in the University, with the teams labelled as “football” and “women’s football”, Vision asked about the influence of the popularisation since the Women’s Euros on segregation within football:

“I can’t speak for the whole club but my personal opinion is that some sort of segregation is actually still needed. Just like we refer to different forms of football such as futsal. So that a team gets true recognition for their success.

“However, I believe we should be referring to this as ‘Men’s Euros’ and ‘Women’s Euros’. With this being based on sex and not gender. Being a woman in football is something I think we should be proud of just like we’d refer to our age/ nationality of a club.”

Vision then asked the team about the influence of the Lionesses’ win in local communities, and the uptake during Freshers’ Week:

“The Euros has highlighted women’s football, bringing it to people’s attention, hopefully encouraging more fresher’s to give it a go with its increasing popularity. I think the Euros will exponentially increase uptake in women’s football at youth levels and will filter and grow through the successive years. Maybe not with such a dramatic impact on the freshers due to the age demographic, but some nonetheless.

“Naturally, even without the Euros success, expansion in the accessibility for youth wanting to partake in the sport has massively increased since we were of that age and hopefully it continues to progress to become equal with the men’s game, eventually filtering through to the uni set up and increasing demand for opportunities in women’s football.”

Finally, Vision asked Amy and Emily about the club’s future and what they are looking forward to in 2023:

“Having maintained our place in the Northern 1A league, we are looking for more students to get involved with the team and carry on the success. This years training will be on Mondays from six till eight in the evening with both matches and themed socials being on a Wednesday afternoon/ evening.

“Please feel free to message our Instagram (@uywafc). If you, like many others, have felt inspired to give football a go, get down to training we’d love to see you there! We look forward to seeing you on the football pitch”

PLAYING SPORT FOR FREE

BY MARTI STELLING (she/her)

EVER FANCIED GETTING involved in a sport you’ve never played before? Do you love the social side of sports, but don’t enjoy playing competitively?

Following the success of “Turn up and Play” sessions at many other universities, including Sheffield Hallam and Leeds Beckett, York has embarked on a new programme which aims to encourage more people to play sports for fun.

Turn Up and Play sessions are run by student volunteers who run sessions with “no commitment, no pressure, [and] no experience needed”. The programme promises to give students the opportunity to take part in a range of activities, without the commitment of playing for a club. The programme will initially begin with futsal, touch rugby, netball, and volleyball this term.

The sessions are completely free of charge and are run weekly by other students who are there to help out with learning the sport and encouraging participation. The student volunteers can also advise about other playing opportunities, should you discover your new favourite hobby!

Anyone who wants to get more active is welcome to turn up for what promises to be “fun and free” activities.

Alongside these sessions, occasional sport leagues are run as semi-competitive opportunities for groups of friends, housemates, or student groups to get together and play sports against other groups.