I want Baby to grow up thinking that there is nothing she can’t do. That she will achieve anything she sets her mind to. I don’t want her to feel limited by worries or what is expected of her. Women have worked hard for hundreds of years to receive equal rights to men and while we have made huge strides forward there are still a number of areas in which there is no sign of equality, one of which is in the beautiful game.
It’s quite surprising that in the 21st century the opportunities and levels at which men and women play football are vastly different. Reports are that some female professionals are paid as little as £50 per week when their male counterparts are earning up to £250,000 per week. My husband informed me that the highest transfer fee for a female player was 45k, when male players are sold for anything up to 80 million pounds (Gareth Bale). Now that is a big difference.
Baby adores football and has done since she started to walk, probably influenced by her daddy who is a Reading FC fan! She has always had a bit of a talent, showing some skills beyond her age. We are so lucky that she gets taught football at Nursery, in a special session once a week. We are also lucky that in these sessions boys and girls are treated the same; she is encouraged just as much as her little friends who are boys.
Football is such a fab interest for her to have; keeping her active, helping her to develop gross motor skills and in most cases gets her out in the fresh air too. I also love that it’s a team sport and she will learn so much from working with her peers. I hope that when Baby gets to school she will be able to continue with her football training. When I was younger I never got the chance to play in a football tournament at school, but I will certainly try my best to help Baby to keep playing as she gets older.
I hope she continues to do what she loves, whether society perceives that to be a ‘male’ game or not. If she enjoys it, then why shouldn’t she do it. Who knows in the future she could be the player breaking the transfer fee record for women.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.