Being a female football fan in this current age has its wins and losses – a constant reputation of following a male team due to finding them “attractive” or intending on becoming a future WAG… both of which, are unsurprisingly untrue. Society displays a generalisation of women's connection with sport being false or less passionate than a man’s, and this needs to stop. Over my years of following my team, Leicester City, I have noticed a warming improvement over the reception that women receive in sport, yet there are still hills to climb in order to reach equality across fanbases.

Growing up, I always dismissed the idea of enjoying football – PE classes at primary school, separated girls into playing Netball, and boys into football. I decided to push against these gendered roles and requested to play football… To which I was simply disregarded the entire game. From this, my football experience started off with exclusion and the idea that I was not welcome into the sport. With a Leicester born and located family, I was born into the path of following the club Leicester City, to which my dad took me to games from an early age. Due to the low exposure to football for young girls, I was battling keeping up with the games, while teaching myself how they worked… this process was knocked down constantly by classmates countering “Name 5 Rotherham players!”, “What’s the offside rule, then?”, “What did David Moyes have for his tea on 24th January 2007?”. How was I expected to participate in a community that didn’t permit entries?

As I grew, and my knowledge strengthened; our climb from the championship strengthened. The club was taken more seriously… and so was I. It frustrated me that my classmates only took my interest in the sport genuinely, when I could back it up with evidence from attending games and knowing the facts. Is it so bad to just have joy for a game? Entering my teenage years, I found the community of women's football, to which I tried at my secondary school (and finished once I realised, I was much better at watching it, than playing it). Mesmerised, how a club could be so welcoming and accessible to women in sport – rather than the perspective I had grown up with, that the only sport for women was netball.

Social media has always been a conflicting platform in regard to my connection to the sport. Some days are extremely welcoming and build a great sense of community between users… then some days you’ll find an 11-year-old Manchester United fan from Grimsby telling you to get back into the kitchen. Although the respect women have received, with sport, has improved significantly through social media – there is still a long way to go until women will be taken completely seriously. Because no, not every girl who interacts with football posts just wants to date that player.

Attending games, I have found that this divide between men and women is significantly decreased. In person, everyone is there for the game. No one cares who you are (unless you’re a Leeds fan), they all just want to support their team and end with a win. I will never forget the moment, on the 15th May 2021, at the FA Cup Final at Wembley, London, when Tielemans scored his rocket of a goal and a random man behind me hugged me in joy. In person, everyone unites so beautifully and powerfully to support their team that joy of celebration overtakes everyone. A match can truly bring people together.

With the emergence of women's football and rise of its popularity, a subsequent wave of acceptance for women across the sport increased. In this current day, we are constantly reaching new levels that allow fans to unite as one – hopefully this pattern will continue through to the future, and we will reach equality amongst genders.

This is a sport for all, let’s break down barriers and build a football community where everyone is welcome.