In the last 24 hours, the spotlight has firmly been on women’s sport in Ireland. And the reason? The National Women’s football team stood up in front of a roomful of journalists and demanded respect.
You could see in their faces that they were uncomfortable. I understand why. As a female athlete in Ireland, at times you go along with the presumption that you should be lucky to play in the big leagues.
Sharing the privilege of representing your nation alongside the men. It’s a sad, but true fact.
Forced to share kits with junior teams and expected to take time off work for training and fixtures, can you blame these elite athletes for being fed up? It’s not just football. This is happening across the board.
The arguments are tired and uninspiring.
It starts with comparing the athleticism between the two genders. Physiologically speaking… sure, men are stronger, they are technically faster, they can pick up heavier s**t and jump farther.
So women should stop playing sports then, right?
If you compare men and women in terms of brute strength, it’s an invalid argument. The sports are different games.
Next is the question of cash. Male sports generate greater buzz; more people want to watch male sporting events so female sporting events don’t get the media coverage.
Without coverage in the media, they can’t generate ad revenue. Without revenue they don’t have cash for sponsorship. Without sponsorship, women end up with very little.
I don’t care HOW many people watch a man’s football match in comparison. We have associations for a reason, the funds that are pumped into supporting our elite athletes should be divided fairly.
You can be sure these women are training just as hard as the men and missing out on time with their friends and families. They also wear the green jersey with nothing but pride.
The National Women’s team did not attend their training camp this afternoon in Dublin. The FAI have invited them for talks this evening to discuss the issues they’re facing.
In a statement, player executive with the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland Ollie Cahill said this was not a decision the players took lightly:
“The players wish to make clear that they simply want the FAI to respect their right to choose their own representatives and have all the outstanding issues which are affecting their ability to achieve their maximum potential for their country resolved in a swift, amicable and professional manner.”
Captain Emma Byrne described the decision to air their grievances in public as ‘humiliating’. This was the absolute last straw for these women, and we have to appreciate how frustrating this must be for them.
The demands are modest; they’re looking for gym membership, more home-based training sessions, for all non-professionals to receive loss of earnings, team wear to be provided for the squad and match fees of €300 per international fixture, with an additional €150 win bonus and €75 for a draw.
So, what did the FAI do following the press conference yesterday? They said they’d tried to engage with them on five occasions. Instead of putting up their hands, they made excuses.
The excuses are boring. Something is clearly wrong, why else would these athletes choose to speak about humiliating issues in public?
These women aren’t activists but they’re reaching out and looking for support. They need us to sit up and listen to what they’re going through.
The FAI needs to sort it out… and other associations should take note.
