Lauren James’ hat-trick wasn’t the only highlight of Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday, according to Sabah Mahmood, head coach of East London club FC Leytonstone’s under-14 girls team. It also saw Fran Kirby come on as a second-half substitute, with the club’s all-time top scorer recently speaking out about body image pressures in football. “Fran Kirby showed up and my girls went crazy!” says Mahmood, who led her team to the match after receiving an invitation from Brown Girl Sport, which advocates for South Asian girls in sports.
Mahmood had previously spoken to his young players about Kirby’s comments. In a documentary released by his club late last year, Kirby said: clarified In a snapshot taken during training, she is “called fat all the time.” “I was talking to some girls on my team about it,” Mahmood recalls. “This started a conversation that didn’t exist before, but it was definitely on the girls’ minds.”
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With the profile of women’s football increasing in the media and social media, Kirby opened up further on the subject in a recent interview with the BBC. “I’ve gotten comments where people say, ‘Fran played really well, what a game, but she looks so good today,'” Kirby said. “I’m like, ‘Why is this comment necessary?’ It shouldn’t matter what my body shape is.”
For coaches like Mahmood, these pressures are particularly evident among girls playing at grassroots level once they reach puberty. “Especially in adolescence, when you become more conscious of things changing as a woman,” she says. “Of course, some girls may be physically bigger or curvier, and some are not. And I think it affects them.”
The research explains. A study in August found girls were three times more likely to quit football in their late teens than boys; One of the factors was body image. In response to this research, former Lioness Jill Scott revealed that she tried to gain weight after receiving comments about her figure. “I’ve been called skinny many times and some people probably think it’s a compliment… [but] “It blows your mind,” Scott said at the time. A 2022 study found that 36% of 115 female players surveyed in the top two tiers of English football showed signs of an eating disorder. A separate survey in 2022 found that an estimated 1.3 million girls in the UK lost interest in sport during adolescence: fear of judgment was cited as the main factor.
At grassroots clubs in the UK, Kirby’s comments led to players speaking out about body image and the need to highlight that footballers have different body shapes. “Everyone is different,” says Abi King, 21, who plays as a right-back for the Real Bedford Ladies Development team. “I played against people bigger and smaller than me. It doesn’t matter, it’s about your skills and what you can do with the ball, it’s not about how big you are. There are people bigger than me who are much faster than me, there are people skinnier than me and slower than me. “It doesn’t matter and I love it.”
In Wales, 54-year-old Ghazala Jabeen started playing football for the first time during the epidemic. Jabeen, who plays for community club North Wales Dragons, was initially shy on the field but later realized the sport made him more confident with his body. “Slowly I started not thinking about how I looked or my body, which gave me more confidence because now I was learning the game, the rules and the expectations,” says Jabeen. “It didn’t bother me much because everyone was embracing everyone equally… We all come in all shapes and sizes.”
Other grassroots players also say the sport has helped them feel confident in their bodies, perhaps due to their day job or negative experiences they had growing up. In fact, these pressures are linked to broader social expectations. (As Kirby told the BBC: “I don’t think it’s just an issue with women’s football. I think it’s bigger than that.”) King, for example, works as an actor in an industry she says is “body-conscious.” time,” he says, but adds: “I never think about it when I’m on the field.” At elite level Leah Williamson said playing football actually helped prevent her from having body image issues in her youth.
This season Mahmood’s team wore a new jersey with a darker colour; This means there is less fear about menstruation or clothes being visible in the rain. The cast consists of children from different cultural backgrounds, and the actors are free in this regard: Some wear tights and headscarves, some do not. “It’s about making them feel better,” he explains. Kirby’s comments were “really powerful. Because it’s not actually that deep, what they might have in mind is: ‘I can look whatever I want to look like, as long as I perform to the best of my ability.’”
talking points
Williamson returned: Nine months later, England and Arsenal captain Leah Williamson is back on the field following an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Williamson came on as a second-half substitute and assisted Beth Mead’s goal in a 6-0 Conti Cup win over Reading. “Special people get you through tough times,” he later told Sky Sports.
Creating waves: Casey Stoney has extended her contract as head coach of NWSL side San Diego Wave until 2027, with the possibility of extending that contract until 2028. Since joining the club in 2021, she has become the first coach to lead an NWSL expansion side to the playoffs. She made the cut in her first season and also led her team to the 2023 NWSL Shield, which is awarded to the team with the best regular season record. “This is just the beginning and I am fully committed to building and improving this team,” Stoney said in a club statement.
Word of the Day
“No, I don’t think so to be honest” – Pernille Harder, when asked if she feels listened to by the governing bodies regarding plans for new tournaments such as the Women’s Club World Cup, reports Forbes.
Recommended viewing
Tottenham defeated West Ham in a thrilling 4-3 match at the Chigwell Building Stadium on Sunday evening. Controversial but stunning goal From Spurs’ Grace Clinton. West Ham goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was the aggrieved party, protesting the possible offside.
Recommended listening
The latest Women’s Football Weekly podcast is available now, now, now.
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Kelly Simmons, the FA’s former director of women’s professional football, shares her thoughts on the sport’s big year ahead in her first Guardian column.
3,000 women watched the Tehran derby in December, but seats are often inadequate and there is a limit on how many people can attend. John Duerden on the latest situation in Iran.
More on Leah Williamson’s return and Aston Villa fielding an ineligible player for their Conti Cup match against Sunderland.
Suzanne Wrack was at Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea beat Real Madrid to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. Read his report here.
Interactive women’s transfer window: Latest deals and club-by-club guides for the WSL and leagues in Italy, France, Germany and Spain
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