Caz

Introduction

My name is Caz May and I’m the Founder of Her Game Too, an organisation promoting gender inclusivity in sport. In my professional job, I work in television & wildlife filmmaking in Bristol. I am a Junior Editor, producing content for Disneynature. I am a huge supporter of Bristol Rovers, which led me to founding a groundbreaking campaign in football.

Her Game Too is a non-profit organisation dedicated to making women feel valued, supported and included. The work is all voluntary, but I dedicate many hours to ensuring we deliver on our KPIs and making a meaningful difference.

Importance of Health and Activity

Sport has many benefits, it doesn’t just help with physical health but also mental health. Giving access to sport, with no barriers, helps to keep the mind healthy and active. Sport has the ability to take you away from your troubles for a period of time and it is vital that everyone has equal opportunity to experience that method of escape.

Life has thrown plenty of curveballs at me, some which have been difficult to cope with. Watching my favourite football team has provided me with that escapism that I’ve desperately needed throughout the challenging times in my life. Bristol Rovers, and the community it offers, have provided me with light on the darkest of days and has given me memories I will never forget.

I’ve seen the positive uplift in female footballers in the past few years as women’s football has grown and is finally gaining the respect it deserves. I’ve seen little girls feeling motivated and inspired by the likes of the Lionesses and Arsenal Women. The rise in women’s football has quite literally changed the game for many women & girls. We have seen an enormous increase in girls’ interest to play football since the Lionesses won the Euros. It’s given these girls a new sense of purpose in life and it’s wonderful to see.

Importance of Opportunities for Women and Girls

No one should be denied the opportunity to keep active by doing something they love and enjoy. Visibility of women’s football is key to inspire and motivate girls to stick with it. Women face a lot of changes in their body through periods, hormones, menopause, pregnancy and more. They deserve the chance to keep active to ensure they keep their confidence and mental wellbeing healthy – but there needs to be opportunities for women to keep active at any age and ability.

Firstly, there’s the gender stereotyping that women shouldn’t play sport because it’s too ‘masculine’ for them. These outdated stereotypes mean that those in power to drive change don’t necessarily think about gender equality when providing access. In many instances, access to equipment/pitches/facilities are automatically given to the men, because that’s just the mindset of a lot of people. There are still too many schools in the UK that don’t allow young girls to play football/rugby etc, which halts their progression when developing their skills. Funding is also a huge issue, which is starting to be addressed, but we still aren’t seeing enough to provide girls with equal opportunities.

By changing the outdated mindsets of those in charge, we are seeing women and girls giving equal opportunities and feeling valued & respected in football. Her Game Too have worked with many clubs to provide their women’s teams with the main stadium, changing rooms, training facilities. We have also looped in local grassroots girls teams, inviting them down to our dedicated Her Game Too fixtures to be flag bearers and do a lap of honour. Small gestures go a long way to inspiring and motivating women and girls who are interested in sport. Her Game Too have also managed to donate money to underfunded grassroots girls teams, providing them with kit and equipment so they can continue to play without the financial struggle.

The Role of Community and Support

Feeling valued and respected in all areas of life can improve your mental well-being. There will be many people who have felt unfairly discriminated against or unappreciated whether that be in work or general life. To have an army of people backing you, supporting you and making you feel like you belong with them, it really can change someone’s entire life. At Her Game Too, we are pleased to have built a strong community of women and male allies, who support women in sport.

Launching a campaign tackling one of football’s longest standing issues was always going to leave me vulnerable to targeting and trolling. In HGT’s infancy, I was targeted badly by anonymous troll accounts, one in particular who claimed they were at the same game as me, made anti-HGT stickers and graffiti’d hate about me on the wall in the men’s toilets. I really struggled with the amount of hate and abuse that was being thrown my way, but thankfully I had already built an army of amazing, strong women within Her Game Too. They picked me up, supported me, offered patience and understanding. I don’t know how I would have coped without them. There was also a lot of love and support from allies on social media, who also helped me a lot.

Her Game Too (without meaning to toot my own horn) has had a huge impact on fostering a supportive community. We support women and girls in all areas (players, staff, fans, pundits, officials). It doesn’t matter what role you do, we all equally understand the impacts of discrimination when you are involved in sport. We are all in this together.