A Right Footer Through Football's Glass Ceiling

Becoming a role model is never a career choice. Most who find themselves leading the way have no idea that they carry such weighty expectations around with them. Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, Kath Grainger said as much in a team talk with our Scottish National Women’s squad during their recent competition at the FIFA World Cup in France. 

One of Scotland’s most capped players (at 65 times) Leanne Crichton shared the same sentiment with us as part of a short interview during her time at the World Cup and the subject of “BEING AN ICON” was the first to come up and one she dodged appropriately. The weight of expectation on our UK women’s squads during the World Cup this year was without comparison. Thanks to their accomplished skills, incredible sense of sportsmanship and teamwork, not to mention blanket media coverage, the women’s game is in the spotlight and as such the players were expected to lead the way. And lead the way they did.

As Leanne herself said, “Nobody ever feels like a role model. You would never use those words to describe yourself.” Introducing yourself with “icon” as an adjective would be cringeworthy and weird admittedly but she does get the sense of the expectation that people now have of her and of what the team’s legacy will be. As females within sport, the impact that they will have on future generations is huge and the media coverage shows us that there is an appetite out there for more and more people to be inspired. This is a hugely publicised moment and as Glasgow City FC’s tagline tells us, “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See” – finally young people WILL see that being a girl and being a professional footballer is not mutually exclusive. These women have proven it and hopefully with the emergence of more professional teams in Scotland, they will continue to gain in momentum.

Leanne is segueing her professional profile into giving back with the Wee Face Foundation – a cancer fundraising foundation set up with fellow sportswomen to help families affected by cancer to find support. Leanne sees this moment as an opportunity to give back and help in the communities around her. But what does this exposure mean for the women’s game as a whole? 

One season of media kindness can’t be the end of the road and ensuring their place in the schedule is essential. What the Scottish and English teams did in France this year, however, was surprise everyone. Patronising pundits aside, their skills, professional conduct and composure should not have been a revelation, but the fact that it was speaks volumes and should support the view that further media coverage is essential, is warranted and is required by a large sector of the viewing public. As Leanne herself put it, your point of view or taste in sporting events is not the point. Exposure is. If the same level of promotion, support, investment and development is applied to all professional sporting events, teams and grassroots coaching, then whether or not you want to watch it is the choice YOU get to make. If the shared opportunities aren’t there, then the choice is gone.

The real resonance from the media coverage though has come from the total lack of cynicism or gamesmanship in the women’s game. As it should be throughout sport, women play to win but they play with respect for one another. Something missing in these days of cynical fouling and exorbitant player wages. It was a pleasure to watch and it made viewing figures go through the roof once word of mouth spread. The competitive edge is there, make no mistake, but the Womens’ teams in France showed that flair and fair play can go hand in hand after all.

Our Scottish National Team has really shown what strides (and strikes) can be achieved with minimal investment and little bureaucratic support. They took on the Euros and the World Cup and achieved more than any national team has since 1998. Our First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said they will inspire the next generation but we think they inspire THIS generation. They have fought hard for their successes and put the establishment to the test. Think what can be achieved with investment from our public bodies and not a little serious consideration from the Old Boys Club. 

It’s time to put away your hankies boys and start playing in league with these women, they will most certainly teach you a thing or two.

Enjoy this one? Our #compasswomen series is all about amazing achievements and lives less ordinary. Have a read.