Anybody that’s been on social media this week will have no doubt seen an angry rant from a particular ex-footballer, sharing his opinions on why women should not be involved in the coverage of the men’s game.

So I thought, as somebody who has been referred to as a ‘box-ticker’ multiple times in the last week… I may as well take this opportunity to give my opinion, and if it makes anybody else feel less alone, it will have been worth it.

Interestingly, the basis of this individual’s argument is that women haven’t played at the top level of men’s football and therefore aren’t equipped to have an opinion on it. Ironically, the same foundations would suggest that he should not have an opinion on female commentators, as he has never been a female commentator himself.

There is definitely a separate discussion to be had about the individual talent and knowledge of each commentator, presenter and pundit and therefore how much people enjoy their coverage… however you only have to tune into a game of football at the weekend and you’ll hear professionals of all genders, backgrounds and levels of experience making mistakes, or you’ll hear voices that you don’t find as enjoyable to listen to. This is nothing new.

I don’t believe there should be a barrier to entry based on gender, or any other factors like this, and feel that it should be based on talent alone. Otherwise, you would only have those that have won the Premier League allowed to speak on games involving Premier League winning teams. Former strikers would not be allowed to comment on defenders’ performances. You get the gist… it makes no sense at all.

In football, the rules are the same across the board, whether you play in the Premier League, WSL, or Championship. The principles are also the same, as are the tactics that can be utilised in games. It doesn’t take Usain Bolt to work out when somebody needs to run faster, nor Messi to understand when a player should cut back.

Now to touch on the topic of women in the “men’s” game. Traditionally, this was a male-dominated sport. In fact, I played in male teams until the age of 16 as there simply were not female teams around for me to play in, facing constant barriers to the professional career I’d dreamed of. Having learnt everything possible about football from the youngest age I can remember, it was devastating to hear people call me “cute” or think it was “sexy” that I knew football. When I tried to get into coverage of the women’s game, there were few who took me seriously, with many seeing my presence as some sort of gimmick. As someone who genuinely loves football, this was beyond frustrating.

There were however, people who did take me seriously and I am forever grateful for that. In fact, attending Watford FC press conferences was the first time I ever felt accepted, and it wasn’t by everybody at these press conferences… but the team at Watford didn’t treat me any differently and this genuinely changed my life.

This was where I was able to thrive. I took every opportunity to network, I asked questions of Premier League managers, I carried out player interviews and my confidence grew to the point where I no longer felt like an outcast. Gradually, more and more women also started popping up in this space, all of which had worked tirelessly and overcome countless barriers to be taken seriously.

Fast forward another 10 years, it’s difficult to explain the frustration when you have spent around 20 years learning about the intricate sides of a sport, only for people to dismiss your knowledge because you’re a woman. If people aren’t keen on my coverage of the sport, I have absolutely no issue with that and they are under no obligation to follow me on social media, or watch the videos I make.

The difficulty is that instead of simply going elsewhere… some of these sexist individuals feel the need to go out of their way to share their opinions, which quite frankly, do a lot of damage to the hard work people put in over the years. That said, you only have to look at their channels to see that they dedicate their lives to trying to upset those achieving great things. Since engaging with this ex-footballer’s tweets, I’ve had the pleasure of receiving numerous messages, threats and comments from his following. It comes as no surprise that the majority of the comments aren’t wanting any type of debate, instead sharing opinions that I should be in the kitchen, calling me ‘woke’, or referring to female body parts as our most valuable assets.

It’s a shame, but I can’t say I’m surprised whatsoever. It’s unfortunately been part of being a female that is in this industry for as long as I’ve known.

But this brings me onto my next point perfectly…

I’m so lucky that on Twitter / X I’ve found a community of incredible football fans – ones that love the game and look past a person’s gender when deciding whether or not they like the content they make. It’s the very small minority of bigoted individuals that try to shout loudest, but they fortunately make up a very small percentage of fans.

The people I have the pleasure of interacting with on social media don’t even pay attention to the fact I’m female and are happy to have ‘normal’ discussions around football with me… which is all I’ve ever wanted. To be able to discuss the sport I love so much, with people who are equally as passionate. And to me, THAT is what the beautiful game is all about. Covering moments in sport that none of us forget.

We are now in a fortunate position where people of all backgrounds have the opportunities to learn and master the skills of presenting, commentary and punditry. The benefit of this? The most talented will be able to get opportunities to create content on the biggest platforms, for all to enjoy. And the number of barriers are being removed, freeing up this space for creativity to flow and for coverage to continuously improve. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

To summarise, I believe opportunities should be based on work ethic, ability and talent, not somebody’s appearance or background. It should be about the value they bring to a position and nothing more.

Not everybody will agree with this opinion, but I hope it helps people to think slightly differently about the situation, or at least understand why people should be given a chance before dismissing the talent they could have.

Anyway, that’s my take, and thanks as always for taking the time to have a read. Have a great one and until next time!