Memorandum submitted by Anne Ellwood
I am pleased to submit my own comments regarding
the current state of Women's Football, based on my personal experiences
of the sport.
Firstly may I enclose some background information
of my experience and knowledge of Women's Football, which I have
been involved in for over twenty years, and have experienced the
game in a variety of capacities and levels.
Having recently returned to the sport as a coach
and volunteer at my daughter's football club, I feel able to comment
on the current situation of Women's Football, and the comparisons
to my previous involvement in the sport many years ago.
Also in my capacity as an events officer during
2005 I was heavily involved in promoting the Women's UEFA Championships
held in the Northwest.
My comments do not reflect those of my employers!
I would certainly wish to contribute and support
the long term development of the game. I would be glad to attend
any subsequent enquires etc.
INTRODUCTION
My daughter plays for a Charter Standard Club
and I am also helping the club, as a volunteer, coaching to marketing
etc. Offering my experience to the club, which is only a few years
old, and I felt that they may welcome the support.
Whilst my daughter enjoys playing the game,
she has endured some bad experiences with the club, through no
fault of her own. Which, had the club been more proactive, especially
under the criteria of the Football Association's Charter Standard
(eg provide a fun, safe environment and respect the needs of individuals).
Then perhaps my daughter would have had a far better experience.
The Club only formed four years ago, but has
grown very quickly, catering for age groups under 10 through to
the Women's Team. Sadly the club has experienced problems, which
it has struggled to deal with and reflects badly on its reputation.
I feel it is the club's lack of experience and perhaps lack of
support from the governing body (local/national), in promoting
"good practice"'. That is leaving the club to flounder
and in danger of losing some very committed volunteers. And not
least has already lost participants.
However I do believe that the Football Association
could perhaps offer a mentoring service to the less experienced
clubs, who desperately need the support for all their hard work.
Women's Football in comparison to the men's/boys
game, is still in its infancy. Boys/men tend to be more naturally
committed to football, whereas the women's game hasn't always
been seen in the same light. Therefore good support mechanisms
may help overcome problems and ensure that a sustainable pathway
from the grassroots to the highest level is achievable and accessible
by all (and most important being able to retain players etc).
In respect of women's football at the elite
level, there is a good league system that provides an opportunity
to compete and play to a high level, and seems to have a good
support system, eg access to quality training.
However I do worry what controls are in place
(at the lower levels) to ensure that those opportunities can be
accessed by participants, and retained, with the quality of support
that allows participants to realise their potential.
Based on my recent experiences of an "elite"
club within East Lancashire, where there appeared to be a lack
of "customer care" shown by coaching (FA Level 2 Qualified)
staff, the staff seemed unable to communicate in a respectful
manner towards young adults. I wonder how many participants will
be lost! Thus again demonstrating the need to ensure that "all"
participants are given the respect and opportunity to further
their career at an appropriate level. Also afforded they should
be shown respect (irrespective of ability) and should they not
reach the standard (for elite level), be offered the guidance
on how to improve their abilities.
DEVELOPMENT OF
WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL AT
ALL LEVELS
AND THE
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS
TO SUPPORT
WIDER PARTICIPATION
IN AMATEUR
AND ELITE
WOMEN'S
FOOTBALL
Based on my current experience of resources
at an amateur level within the East Lancashire area, I feel that
there has been a dramatic change in the opportunity for participation
at the grassroot level to the elite level. There does appear to
be a vast amount of women's teams at various standards within
the region. However I am not convinced that the "network"
between clubs and the governing body is strong enough to retain
participants, and allow progression to elite level.
Examples
There is a distinct difference between survival
of the stronger, established clubs, particularly those attached
to (men's) professional clubs and those with lesser resources.
With many clubs unable to compete with those stronger clubs, there
have been a number of teams withdrawing from leagues in 2005-06.
Though there may be other reasons, there is however a feeling
that it can be soul destroying for the less resourced clubs trying
to compete against the "professional" clubs. Whilst
it is good to compete against those clubs, there needs to be a
support mechanism, whereby the "pro" clubs could share
their expertise or maybe agreements made, that should girls fail
to succeed with an "elite club", then they are guided
to other clubs that might be of an appropriate level.
I suggest that perhaps to ensure that participants
are retained in the sport at "all" levels and also have
opportunities to try, for example coaching/refereeing, there needs
to be a strategy in place that pulls all clubs together and is
able to retain participants who may drop out of the sport because
they have failed at an elite level.
At the grassroots level there is a need to ensure
that there is a proactive support system. That will cover all
aspects of the game, which could draw on the experiences of the
more established clubs.
Perhaps the FA could set up workshops based
around a variety of topics, that are run periodically throughout
the year at a local level (perhaps there could be an incentive
scheme that offers rewards to clubs/players who attend those sessions,
eg cash for equipment).
AVAILABILITY OF
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
YOUNG PLAYERS
TO DEVELOP
SKILLS, STAMINA
AND PERFORMANCE
Girls' football seems to be accessible at most
schools and many include it as a curriculum activity. Whilst most
schools are able to offer suitably trained staff to deliver quality
training, I do feel that there is a lack of experienced coaching
available to provide quality coaching etc in the club environment
(unless it's a "pro" club). I base this on seeing many
recently qualified coaches, who are very committed and enthusiastic,
but lack confidence. Whilst it is the coach's responsibility to
gain experience, there is need for a good support network for
coaches to gain that extra bit of confidence and knowledge. There
is a need to be local groups that could meet and swap ideas etc.
Even though the FA has their successful Charter
Standard scheme, which recognises a good safe training environment
at clubs, I do feel that it is not a guarantee that there will
be a quality learning experience for participants. I feel that
once clubs have achieved their Charter standard status, there
doesn't seem to be evidence of any monitoring or support to ensure
the required Charter Standards criteria are maintained. (Please
note that there are many clubs that demonstrate a good standard,
but perhaps it highlights the need for the Football Association
to be more proactive in promoting "good practice" amongst
all clubs.)
WOMEN'S
PARTICIPATION IN
ALL ASPECTS
OF THE
GAME INCLUDING
COACHING AND
MANAGEMENT
Whilst I have seen more women now engaged in
coaching/management at all levels, I still feel in some respect
that there is still a male domination in those roles. Plus in
some instances I have experienced "discrimination" from
parents who feel, that a "man" should be the manager
(perhaps because historically it has always been seen as a "mans"
role)!
There is a need to raise the profile and showcase
the women who are doing those jobs (at all levels, even at men's
clubs, where for example there are now women working as physio's
), which, would serve as an encouragement to others. Also, it
is important to have role models, especially to encourage players
to take on those roles. At the moment there is still a tendency
to use the "mens" game as examples of role models, rather
than we should be seeing and hearing about "women" in
coaching positions etc.
At the moment the FA have a successful coaching
scheme which goes from Level 1 coaching at grassroots to elite
level with the UEFA licence. However I have seen little evidence
to demonstrate that there is a support network to ensure that
women can be mentored through to a higher level.
For example, I am currently re-taking my Level
2 and whilst there are a couple of other women on a "male"
dominated course (I personally don't have a problem attending
the course and the "men" are very supportive).
Though I do feel that there may be a need to
have a women-only course and many women may feel intimidated (also
I am not aware of any women tutoring the coaching courses).
I am also aware of other women who have failed
their Level 2, but there doesn't appear to be a support mechanism
to encourage them to try again. Thus many good coaches could be
lost.
Need to profile women referees in particular
at a professional level
I believe that there needs to be a better support
network from the governing body, particularly at a local level.
MEDIA COVERAGE
AND SPONSORSHIP
I feel that the media coverage of the Women's
UEFA Championships in 2005 has helped raise the profile of the
sport. However it appears that at a local level the media coverage
of the women's game is very limited. Local papers still seem to
be dominated by coverage of boys'/men's football. Whereas if there
were more regular media coverage of the women's game, it would
help raise the profile and also make it easier for participants
to access information on girls'/women's football.
I bet it's easier for boys/men to find out about
playing opportunities than girls/women, thanks to constant media
coverage, certainly at a local level.
If I asked girls/women to name the England ladies'
team or a woman coach, they may struggle to answer. Mainly because
the media is dominated by the men's game and it is easy to name
players like David Beckham rather than eg Rachel Yankey!
I hope that my comments are taken in a positive
manner and I know that women's football has become much more recognised
and there is a lot of quality work been achieved.
5 June 2006
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