Speakers
Description
The study’s objectives were to analyse best practices across six European countries (Bulgaria, England, Finland, France, Poland and Spain) to help grow women’s football in relation to three axes of: governance, visibility and development. An online survey was completed by 1,129 respondents across all six countries who were all affiliated with women’s football, either as a player, coach or club official. Participant demographic data was collected, alongside both Likert-scale and open-ended questions to ascertain perceptions of equality and examples of best practices to support women’s football. Focus groups and individual interviews were then conducted with 61 participants to further analyse examples of best practices, and to question how the associated socio-cultural conditions had been overcome to enable successful implementation. Focus group and interview data were thematically analysed through an inductive approach. Multiple themes were identified across all countries and contexts. A sustained existence of women’s football being stigmatized was recorded. This marginalized women’s football to the periphery of the cultural space when compared to men’s football because of socially reproduced hegemonic masculine ideologies that prioritised men’s football. Examples of best practices came from separatist women’s only football clubs who had greater agency to implement initiatives. Sharing of training facilities, coaching knowledge and online social media platforms was recorded by clubs that had integrated men’s and women’s teams together. The presentation concludes by offering stakeholders theoretically informed recommendations on the value for implementing several strategies in the hope of continuing to develop European women’s football.
