Afternoon Poolies, I’m Jill and I would like to introduce myself to you all as Her Game Too’s ambassador for HUFC.
We are delighted to have HUFC as partners with Her Game Too. Everyone reading this may not know of or heard about Her Game Too and what the campaign is all about. It was founded in May 2021, and is a voluntary organisation ran by female football fans; who are committed to growing the campaign with the aim of fostering an ethos in football in which women are welcomed and respected equally. In just 10 months the campaign has generated successful partnerships with over 100 clubs. With 3 premier league clubs, Everton, Leeds and Brentford all signing up. There are more clubs being announced all the time and this huge wave of enthusiasm for the campaign has been somewhat overwhelming but highlights how much it is needed.
The aims of the campaign include:
- Create awareness – not every female who come to matches may encounter sexist attitudes but that’s not to say it doesn’t happen. Most of the abuse I have faced in recent years has been online.
- Educate everyone, young boys and girls included that sexist behaviour won’t be tolerated and make the football world welcoming for girls and women.
- Research by getting fans viewpoints and creating strategies to help overcome the issue they face.
- Develop a strong sense of community. Create regular content to champion women in football across the town and surrounding area (HUWFC, grassroots girl's teams, coaches, physios, women in the football business world as well as YOU the fans)
- Create strong relationships with clubs
- Create strong relationships with club trusts and communities. We can work together with the existing supporters and community groups to make a difference.
- Have a presence at football grounds and sports bars to build a more welcoming environment for young girls and women – we are welcoming anyone who wants to help Emily and myself in achieving these aims. This can be just a contribution via completing questionnaires or contacting us with ideas we can use going forward.
- Continue to campaign against sexism in football
- Continue to campaign against online abuse
A big part of the partnership is the setting up of reporting system to allow fans to contact the club and HerGameToo whenever they receive sexist abuse, be it in the Suit Direct stadium or online. We are putting posters up around the stadium with the contact details on and printing them in the match day program. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, and this includes any men which are witness to any harassment and can help eradicate this behaviour from the stands.
We would also like to showcase female fans and the female staff that the clubs have. A couple of clubs have also introduced a female fan forum, just to give a perspective on what the match day is like for them because some clubs don’t know about things like toileting issues and so on. It’ll be good for the club and us in the HerGameToo HUFC team to find out what we can do together make the day a bit more welcoming for female fans.
If anyone wants to help support our campaign please get in touch via our email; hartlepoolunitedhgt@outlook.com, via out designated twitter page @HUFC_HGT or by speaking to us directly in the stadium. We are planning a HerGameToo dedicated game for next season and need as much support as possible to make it a successful and memorable day for all.
Hi everyone, my name is Emily and I will be working alongside Jill as an advocate for the Her Game Too campaign. Together we will be raising awareness surrounding the issues of sexism in football and ensuring our club provides a safe and welcoming environment for all.
49% of females have witnessed or experienced sexism at a football match, and I’m sure many of you will have your own encounters with sexism, which is exactly what we are aiming to get rid of! Sexist abuse will not be tolerated at Hartlepool United, and we hope to have the backing of all fans, regardless of gender, to make sure football is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
If you have any feedback for how we can make the Suit Direct Stadium a more inclusive environment, please do not hesitate to get in touch either directly to myself and Jill or through our dedicated platforms. Enjoy the game Poolies and we hope to hear from you very soon!