National news
Podium issue 3
In this issue we’ve shared some great ideas and brilliant opportunities to stay active, save money and get out exploring. Plus, there are some rather curious and different ways to help look after your health and wellbeing as the evenings draw in.
Take a sneak peek at one particularly timely article.
A Game of Two Halves – by Judy Yorke
This is the year when women’s football really came centre stage – or should that be centre stadium? – for everyone. The skill, nerve and athleticism of England’s Lionesses was rewarded not only with their UEFA Women’s EURO trophy, but with stadiums packed full of supporters at sell-out games.
Yet when I caught the football bug back in 1978, there weren’t many female fans to be seen on the terraces. I was a novelty at primary school too – no other girls were remotely interested in ‘the beautiful game’. And when, aged 12, I decided I wanted to play football as well as watch it, there were no girls’ teams. I had to join a ladies’ team and play against adults.
More than four decades later, there are girls’ competitions and professional women’s leagues. Five years ago, non-league Lewes became the first club to pay women footballers the same as men. And attendances at women’s games was soaring well before this year.
A league of our own
At several clubs, women have formed their own supporters’ groups, with Women of Watford (WoW) the first in the Premier League. Kate Lewers, who started WoW, has been going since she was nine – but was put off by the lack of women and girls. “You couldn’t look on the pitch and see yourself,” recalls Kate, now 31.
“You couldn’t look in the crowd and see yourself – and the women’s toilets were rubbish. I didn’t have a group of female friends who go to the football – I was generally tagging along with a group of men.” She posted on Twitter saying she wouldn’t go to away games alone because she didn’t feel safe doing so. The club got in in touch and things went on from there….
Explore Podium
To carry on reading Kate’s story and to hear more about what’s coming up, get your copy of Podium.
