Just how much has changed for female sportswomen in the last few decades? Have things improved as much as we’d like to think?? A former Football Fern, Rebecca Sowden talks us through what it was like when she was playing, versus how things are now (and what we can collectively do to improve things for the next generation of girls!).
In Partnership with Nike
When former Football Fern Rebecca Sowden ran onto the pitch for the first big game of her life, she only had one thing on her mind.
“The only memory I have of making my debut for New Zealand U-17 team was being so worried about being on my period and bleeding all over my white shorts,” she says.
It was just one more hurdle to overcome as a woman in sport.
Football had been her passion since she was just a little girl, but it was far from being an easy path to follow. There was the fact she didn’t know a single other girl who played the sport, had no role models to look up to and that there were plenty of awkward and difficult moments to encounter and overcome.
We’d all like to think things have come a long way in the last couple of decades. But, have they changed as much as we’d like to think? We talked to Rebecca, who has spent the last 15 years since she retired from football working in sports marketing, media and sponsorship, about how things were, how things really are now, why the internet might be lying to you and what’s left to improve – and what we can do to make that shift.
The Only Girl
Most of what Rebecca remembers of growing up playing football, was about being alone.
“I have many vivid memories of being the only girl in the team and remember all the little challenges that came with that,” she says. “Being the last one left without a partner when told to pair up for drills, not being sure where to get changed or the anxiety that comes with awkward changing room situations and players being reluctant to pass the ball to a ‘girl’.”
But perhaps the biggest challenge was not being able to see a pathway forward for herself – simply because she didn’t know of any women who had made a career out of football.
“There were no existing pathways, so you had to create your own,” she says. “For example, I was one of the first Kiwis to go to the USA on a college soccer scholarship so had to navigate all aspects of that process which was extremely complex at the time. There were no professional women’s soccer opportunities so having to create your own dreams while balancing a full-time job and essentially full-time training. We had to constantly mold into a male soccer player’s world getting boots that were too big, NZ hand-me down oversized shirts, aggressive coaching styles that many female footballers can’t thrive in.”
She also remembers having trouble finding a bra that would fit her well and do the job, without making her feel self-conscious.
It’s something we’ve talked about previously, but yes, as girls hit puberty – and particularly from the age of 14 – they often withdraw from sport at an alarming rate, that’s twice the rate that boys drop out at.
Rebecca says she understands why that was the case when she was young and still the case today.
“Girls and young women are still often judged or sexualized in sporting situations so those elements on top of historical issues like a lack of role models, outdated stereotypes and less access or opportunity to sports than boys all contribute to this concerning statistic,” she says.
So, Have Things Improved? Are They Improving?
Well, yes and no, says Rebecca. Things have certainly improved as far as the visibility of women in sport, particularly in football, is involved, and there are now far more opportunities (and role models!) for young women wanting to pursue a career. But, it’s also much too soon to pat ourselves on the back and think that things are completely different.
“There have been huge leaps,” says Rebecca. “We are seeing record after record being broken with the likes of Women’s Euros last year to club games in terms of viewership, attendance and sponsorship. We’ve seen the professionalization of the game with players flying first class, being all-out professional players and getting recognized on the street.”
And while she loves seeing female professional players out there, being asked for selfies and celebrated, she loves those role models are staying true to themselves.
“What I’ve loved seeing being retained is the down-to-earth nature and relatability of female footballers. They are approachable, smart and phenomenal content creators which is all helping supercharge the game.”
She’s loved seeing the US Women’s National Team achieving pay equality with the US men’s team. And seeing a female coach at the helm of the NZ Football Ferns.
And she was thrilled to see the recent change from white shorts to turquoise within the team. Plus, certain brands’ investment in Leak Protection Shorts and Bra Support.
But, we’ve still got a long way to go, she says.
“We can’t progress-wash women’s football and the work that still needs to be done,” she says. “We’re still seeing historic systems and outdated views across grassroots football clubs gate-keeping progress, we still don’t have enough women in leadership positions helping influence key decisions. We need more women and women’s sport advocates leading newsrooms to ensure coverage and better education and support for brands looking to support women’s sport.”
Turning the Tide
Rebecca is one of the founding partners of Correct the Internet – a social cause campaign that has been set up to tackle the gender bias that occurs against sportswomen on the internet and ultimately raise the visibility of women’s sport.
“For example,” says Rebecca. “If you were to search “Which footballer has scored the most international goals?” the internet will tell you it’s Ronaldo with 115 goals when in fact it’s Canadian women’s footballer, Christine Sinclair with 191 goals.”
“While it may not seem like a big deal to some or be a case of having to scroll down a page further to find the correct answer,” she says, “it has wider implications across the whole women’s sport ecosystem. For kids searching for a school project, it tells them women’s sport is secondary, for journalists researching facts, it perpetuates the lack of women’s sport coverage and for the future as we see the likes of ChatGPT infiltrate our society, these inaccuracies will be amplified and push women’s sport, sportswomen and women in general further into the background.”
The project has been a collective effort with sports organisations, athletes and media all coming on board to help the cause – which has garnered global recognition and the support of the likes of sporting legends Billie-Jean King, Alex Morgan and Andy Murray.
The Future
Rebecca says you only have to look at what’s happening with the upcoming World Championships to see that progress has been made.
“When I was playing for New Zealand our games weren’t broadcast, no one could name one player, people didn’t even know our games, we were often self-funded so it very much felt like we were on our own with little support,” she says. “Fortunately that has changed and there won’t be a person in Aotearoa who won’t know the Women’s World Championship is happening and want to get behind the NZ Football Ferns!”
It’s up to all of us to continue to give women’s sport our attention, our interest, our ticket sales and our admiration. And with that support, the sky is the limit for female sportswomen, and for the next upcoming generations.
“I truly see the 2020s as the decade of women’s sport and hope to see the movement continue to build momentum,” says Rebecca.
Let’s make it happen.
