Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – The FA & Barclays & The All Blacks
Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT - THE FA & BARCLAYS
International Women’s Day on March 8 raised nationwide awareness of the importance of unlocking equal opportunities for girls and women, with the aim of ‘breaking the bias’ and creating a gender equal world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
More than 90,000 girls from schools across England took part in Barclays’ maiden Biggest Ever Football Session on March 9 as part of the FA’s Let Girls Play campaign.
A record 1,450 schools confirmed their commitment to providing girls with equal access to football by participating in the bespoke sessions, delivered to schools by Youth Sport Trust and England Football.
Currently, only 63% of schools offer girls’ football in PE lessons, and only 40% offer girls regular extracurricular football.
Let Girls Play aims to have 75% of schools providing equal access to football for girls in PE lessons and 90% of schools offering regular extracurricular football by 2024.
The campaign launched last year is supported by the Barclays Girls' Football School Partnerships programme, which aims to influence key decision makers within schools and support the training of teachers to support the FA’s strategic ambition for equal access.
Head of development at the FA, Louise Gear, said: “To see that over 90,000 girls have taken part in our Let Girls Play Biggest Ever Football Session has filled me with immense pride.
"We launched our strategic ambition and Let Girls Play campaign to raise awareness of the importance of providing girls with equal access to football and seeing so many schools unite on this across the country is fantastic.
"With it being such a huge year for women’s football in this country, more girls than ever will feel inspired to play football and the FA and Barclays want to play an important part in that. We want to thank everyone who took part in the day and joined us in our commitment to unlocking equal pathways.”
Kelly Smith MBE, a former England international and Barclays football ambassador, commented: “It was a privilege to see the Let Girls Play campaign in action. Seeing so many girls unite to celebrate their love of the game and desire to play football was really special.
"There were nearly 200 girls taking part at this school which was amazing. Moments like this make me extremely proud to be part of such an important campaign and event that the FA and Barclays have created.”
Playing football from an early age provides numerous mental and physical benefits and for girls across the country and for them to know that thousands of others were doing the same demonstrates the value of the campaign.
Barclays Football Ambassador, Ian Wright, said: “I know it’s not going to happen overnight, but we have a responsibility to this generation of girls not to fail them like we failed previous generations. The future stars of the Barclays WSL and the England women’s team are out there in the playgrounds, the school pitches, and they’re ready to play. We need to let them play.
The damning statistics currently represent a nation’s failure to an entire generation of girls. Football is England’s national sport and it should be possible for everyone to play, regardless of gender, race, age, religion or beliefs.
However, Let Girls Play signals a vision for a better future.
Ninety-one per cent of girls without access to football in PE want to play the sport in the school curriculum, at breaktime, after school, and at local clubs.
They want to play wherever and whenever they want, without barriers or stereotypes.
Thanks to the Let Girls Play campaign, those girls will now have a louder voice and more opportunities.
MISS – THE ALL BLACKS
The All Blacks have apologised for a tone-deaf International Women’s Day social media post which praised the team’s wives for supporting them and featured a player who had assaulted his female partner.
The team backed down following a huge backlash to the original post, which emphasised women in supporting roles, rather than celebrating New Zealand’s women’s rugby union teams.
The tribute featured a photo of All Blacks player Sevu Reece, who admitted assaulting his female partner in 2018, and Aaron Smith, who was suspended for a game in 2016 after an airport toilet encounter with a female friend, who was not his wife, came to light.
Highlighting photos of All Blacks players alongside the women in their lives, the post was captioned: “Forever grateful to all the women in our lives that allow us to play the game we love. Partners, mothers, daughters, doctors, physios, referees, administrators and fans. Appreciate you every day.”
However, it failed to mention the New Zealand's women's teams, the Black Ferns, who are World Cup winners and have won five of the past six tournaments; or the Black Ferns Sevens, who have won the last two World Cups and are the current Olympic and Commonwealth champions.
Fellow England international, Sarah Taylor, commented: “Awks. Didn’t fancy supporting ya women’s team.”
Wales and Wasps rugby player, Florence Williams, tweeted: “How not to celebrate IWD from a male sport ally. Patronising. Female stereotyping to the max ‘allow us to play’.
“It's not enough to acknowledge women, but understand the barriers and oppression, not aggravate it.”
While Ireland hockey player, Shirley McCay, posted: “Allow you to play the game you love… Goodness me. There's so much wrong with this it's almost as if it's a parody account.”
The All Blacks deleted the original tribute and posted an apology, which read: “We’ve stopped, listened and we agree. We didn’t get it right with our celebration of International Women’s Day and we apologise.
“The Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens continue to inspire people around the world – not just with their achievements on the field, but the way they represent the sport off the pitch.
“This is the year of women’s rugby with Sky Super Rugby Aupiki, Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse, Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 and Rugby World Cup 2021 playing in 2022.
“We are behind you every step of the way.”
The original aim of International Women’s Day – to achieve complete gender equality for women all over world – has yet to be achieved.
There is still a gender pay gap, female workers are still ostrasised from leadership positions, violence against women and girls remains high, and women still fall behind men in terms of education and healthcare.
On a day when the world comes together to shine a light on these inequalities – while also celebrating the successes and achievements of the women who have overcome them – the All Blacks showed how far there still is to go before society eradicates the global prejudice that is still directed towards women.