Moving the Goalposts | How can women’s football hold on to its unique selling point amid rising abuse? | OneFootball

When did we stop seeing those in the limelight – be it athletes, musicians, film stars or anyone else – as human? At what point did it become acceptable for some to feel that they have ownership over aspects of their lives or that they have the right to hurl abuse behind the protection of a screen? And how, in women’s football in particular and women’s sport more generally, can we find the balance between access and providing players with the protection that ensures their safety?

These have been just some of the questions I have been mulling over in the last few weeks, sparked by a litany of events within the women’s game and beyond. Most recently, the stalking incident that Emma Raducanu had to endure at the Dubai Tennis Championships was an eye-opener into some of the things that are going on overtly and in the shadows.

So far this year we have seen the very serious allegations of racial abuse that were aimed at the Manchester City forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw in the wake of their league defeat to Arsenal. It led to the club releasing a strong statement, an investigation being launched and Shaw herself withdrawing from the following match to protect her mental health.

One only had to look at the reaction online to the verdict in the Sam Kerr trial to see comments laden with latent racism and sexism while the Chelsea captain Millie Bright released a statement on Instagram this month after receiving abuse about her own performance when signing shirts after their game away to Aston Villa. “Please may I remind you that as players we are not collectibles,” she wrote. “We are not robots; we are humans the same as you.”

These are just some examples of the more serious incidents in the game. Abuse of women’s sport stars continues to increase in the online space, fuelled by some high-profile figures who all too willingly abandon the responsibility that comes with their position for clicks and engagement. A report released by Fifa after the 2023 Women’s World Cup revealed that one in five players at the tournament had been targeted “with some form of discriminatory, abusive or threatening content”. Female players were also 29% more likely to be targeted with online abuse when compared with male players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

For female athletes, in particular, the development of the digital world has provided unique possibilities that are countered by increased exposure to malevolent behaviour. We now have access to athletes like never before, a window into their lives that just did not exist before the emergence of social media.

This insight can be positive in many ways. Players now have an ability to grow their own brands independently. For female athletes, in particular, it provides an opportunity for those who receive less coverage in the mainstream media to make a name for themselves as well as an additional source of income. The Women’s Sport Trust recently published research highlighting the visibility female athletes can garner on digital platforms. Chelsea Women have amassed 167m TikTok views in a year, more than any other dedicated women’s sports team account worldwide. At Paris 2024, 67% of total TikTok views of Team GB athletes competing came from female athletes.

But this window is all too often exploited. It has led to a growing sense of entitlement from a subsection of fans who believe they are owed anything from a player’s time to selfies, shirts, boots and autographs. When it is not forthcoming, some then believe they have the right to complain or abuse. In October 2023, Mary Earps was accused by a father of snubbing his child after a Manchester United match.

This is where the dilemma comes in. How can the women’s game hold on to one of its unique selling points – that relationship between players and fans – while also recognising that the protection of its athletes – online and in public – is of paramount importance. The Raducanu incident, for example, is a warning that what might seem like natural aspects of fandom can spill over into something much more sinister.

Clubs and federations are trying to find the balance. The security surrounding teams is far more visible than it ever has been while programmes such as Fifa’s social media protection service are designed to help navigate the perils of the online world. This becomes even more important given female players are unlikely to have the financial resources available to hire bodyguards or other security experts.

At the end of the day, however, it is also down to all of us as individuals to remember the boundaries. To remind ourselves that behind every athlete remains a human not a commodity whose sole responsibility is to entertain or engage at all times. As Bright said: “We are somebody’s partner and somebody’s daughter. We are not items. Nobody owns us. We own ourselves and that needs to be reminded and told.”

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