“Real football” through the eyes of women’s football fans
“You could have gone watch some real football instead.”
I was at Stamford Bridge watching my first ever women’s football game when I received this message from someone back in my home country, Italy, with it immediately stirring up something inside me.
Female footballers train and play just as much as their male counterparts do, and yet they are still seen as less professional, less important and less valuable.
As a young woman who’s just starting her career in sports, a typically male-dominated field, hearing those kinds of comments towards other women in the sector always makes me aware of just how much disparity there still is and how much harder we need to work to reach the level of respect and recognition that men have.
In that sense, Italy is one of those countries where gender bias in sport is still very much alive, and thus, receiving that kind of comment was not entirely unexpected on my part. At the same time, it made me more aware of the different approach to women’s football that fans have here in the UK compared to Italy.
Walking around the stadium during halftime of the Chelsea vs Real Madrid Champions League game, I had the opportunity to talk to Chelsea fans and hear their stories on why they have an affinity for the women’s game and what makes them go and support their team on a regular basis.
“I love Chelsea, and I love coming to Chelsea,” said a male Chelsea supporter.
“It doesn’t really matter to me that if it’s the men were playing or the women were playing. I went to 37 out of the 40 games we played last season. We don’t see them as different genders.”
This feeling was shared by all the fans, who agreed on the importance of supporting the club as a whole. “We’re here for the Chelsea,” they all sang.
“I’ve been following Chelsea for about 12 years,” continued another fan.
“When I started following Chelsea Women, no one knew who the players were, they all went to support the team rather than specific players.”
The love for the club is what pushes people to go to the stadium every weekend and support their team, but what I learned is that the more relaxed and welcoming atmosphere in women’s football also plays a big part when fans are confronted with choosing a game to watch.
“Men’s games are not the safest place to be,” they said.
“This, instead, is a safer environment. It’s more inclusive, you don’t feel scared of who you’re around, it’s more inclusive.”
Seeing such a big and diverse group of football fans all gathered to see the women’s game made me smile, and despite the atmosphere being different from when the men are playing, I could feel a sense of community and support that is not always apparent in men’s football games.
What I was most delighted to hear was that not a single person interviewed agreed with the statement that “it’s not real football.” Furthermore, the common thread in their answers was that “the love for the club goes above like gender, women’s football, men’s football, in the end it’s all football.”
In this sense, I would say that women’s football in the UK is growing more rapidly and is starting to get the recognition it deserves when compared to other countries where there remains a huge gap between the men and the women’s game. This being said, the example of its growth in the UK shows that there is potential for countries like Italy to follow suit.
