#HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/tYPBJmuNQP
— Her Game Too (@HerGameToo) May 15, 2021
This weekend our fixtures across both men’s and women’s first team games will celebrate women in football, and in sport in general, as we endorse the ‘Her Game Too‘ message.
The club is affliated with the #HerGameToo movement, an organisation founded in May 2021 with the aim of raising awareness and educating others on the importance of inclusivity and diversity in sports. Their video above, was viewed hundreds of thousands of times and the quest to eliminate sexism in football had begun!
We are proud to be one of hundreds of clubs, in both the professional and semi-professional / grassroots settings, to be affiliated in the UK.
Whilst starting within football, and by a group of female football fans spread across the UK, HerGameToo has resonated significantly across the sporting landscape, with like-minded initiatives now set up covering cricket, rugby and ice hockey. The start of the campaign highlighted the inequality felt, particularly by women, in the stands at football grounds across the country. But this is not limited to football supporters on the terraces, we want to see the same acceptance and inclusion on the pitch and behind the scenes.
We start the build-up to this weekend by introducing the team of ambassadors and advocates for the club, starting with Samantha Harman who volunteers as matchday volunteer co-ordinator at Gigg Lane. Sam sat down with buryfc.co.uk to answer questions around how she got involved with #HerGameToo.
Club #HerGameToo Ambassador, Sam Harman
Hello Sam, please can you give a quick introduction of yourself and what involvement you have for Her Game Too?
Hi, I’m Sam Harman and I am the club’s Her Game Too ambassador. My role is to work closely with the club and Her Game Too to ensure there is no sexism within the club aimed at female players, fans, or volunteers and to also help promote Her Game Too.
What is your main goal as the Her Game Too ambassador for Bury FC and what are your hoping to achieve in your role as ambassador for women who go along to football matches at Bury?
My main goal is to ensure that everyone feels included, happy and safe within our club regardless of your sex, sexuality, and beliefs. Every female within the club should feel safe and comfortable when watching or playing football.
As a fan-owned club, we want everyone to feel welcome at Gigg Lane. The Her Game Too advocates and I are here for all our female fans and female players to give them the confidence to report to the club and Her Game Too any incidents of sexism that may be aimed towards them in.
We also provide free sanitary products in all female toilets at Gigg Lane, and we are also responsible for bringing awareness to our fans about the Her Game Too organisation and what they are doing to help stamp out sexism in all sports.
The Her Game Too campaign has really taken off, how pleasing is it to see such a campaign for women especially after seeing recent campaigns like Kick It Out and Rainbow Laces?
Her Game Too has really grown over the last few years with lots of clubs, from the Premier League
down to non-league, joining and supporting the organisation and it’s reassuring that there
is someone to report sexism in sport to. The work that the organisation and each club put in
to stamp out sexism in the game is so important.
How did you become aware of the Her Game Too campaign?
Before becoming the ambassador, I had heard about Her Game Too on social media but when I was asked if I was interested in becoming the Her Game Too ambassador, I started to learn just how important it is to be affiliated with them and what good work they have been doing to curb sexism in all sports and
not just football.
Why did you decide to get involved in Her Game Too?
The club initially asked if I would be interested and of course I jumped at the chance. It is important specially as a fan-owned club that we ensure everyone feels safe when coming to watch games.
Have you ever been subjected to any kind of sexism at a football match or on social media yourself?
Unfortunately I have been subjected to sexism at matches, home and away, and on social media. I have had comments such as get back in the kitchen and I bet you don’t even know the offside rule.
Bury FC Women’s Chloe Greenhall wheels away after scoring at Gigg Lane earlier this season
What changes have you seen over the years in the attitudes towards women going to watch football in general?
I feel things have improved massively, most people are now much more accepting of women who support or participate in football.
We have seen women’s football really grow recently especially with the lionesses winning the Euros and being runners-up in the World Cup. How good is that to see?
It’s amazing to see how far women’s football has come over the last few years and it’s good to see how many more grassroot football teams are popping up all over the country. My niece loves football, she is part of the girl’s team who are today’s mascots.
How good is it to see Bury FC promote women’s football as much as they do with the men’s team?
I love how much our club promote the women’s games and I feel it’s so important to continue doing so,
they are a huge part of the Bury FC family.
What would you say to any female fan going to football matches who hear things they don’t want to or who are subjected to any sexist abuse? What would you advise them to do?
If you hear or are subjected to any sort of sexist abuse or sexism, please report it straight away to the club and Her Game Too; please take this seriously and don’t suffer in silence. The club, myself and Her Game Too take all complaints and discrimination seriously.
It’s not just about highlighting sexism and discrimination towards women at football matches but Her Game Too also promotes women’s participation in football too.
Yes, that’s correct, Her Game Too was set up to help stamp out sexism and also helps to promote
participation in football. This can be as a player, coach, manager or even a match-day official. Her
game too are also affiliated with many teams from the Premier League right down to grassroots children’s teams.
We will continue to build up to our #HerGameToo Weekend ahead of the fixtures, but if you want to be #PartofIt grab a ticket for our game against Lower Breck at Gigg Lane by clicking below:
As always, keep across the latest from the club on the website, X / Twitter & Facebook.
