Today is International Women’s Day and it’s been refreshing to see so much positivity on the internet.

Something that’s hit close to home is the topic of women in sport. The sports industry, and football in particular is hugely male dominated.

It’s been incredible to see more women getting involved and Premier League clubs getting behind the women’s teams.

While there’s still a long way to go, a huge amount has changed since I first started playing football. Playing for Watford Ladies from the age of about 8 until I was around 20, there was literally no link between the men’s and women’s team. Funding was non-existent, we had our own captain coach us for the best part of a season and opportunities were incredibly limited. The increased publicity surrounding women’s football has made an enormous difference and it’s been incredible to watch the likes of Watford Ladies and West Ham United go from strength to strength.

There is definitely a lot of sexism in the football fan base, but then again it could be argued that in any group of millions of people, you’ll get a few nasty ones.

I’ve had countless sexist comments made, particularly in regards to being a female who loves football, but for every ‘get back in the kitchen’ comment, I’ve had a good laugh and learnt to brush off people’s opinions which don’t matter.

On the other hand, I’ve had a crazy amount of support, particularly from the West Ham fan base. What could be seen as a negative can definitely be used to motivate and show exactly why there should be more women in the industry.

So here’s to another year of fun, and I can’t wait to see what the next year holds for women in sport!

Happy International Women’s Day,

Holly