International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect on progress, challenge inequality and celebrate the incredible achievements of women across all areas of society.
In football, one movement that has become central to that conversation is Her Game Too – a campaign determined to ensure that sport is a welcoming space for everyone.
That message was visible on the pitch last weekend when Forest Green Rovers Women (FGRW) hosted local rivals Gloucester City Women in a derby clash at The New Lawn stadium. The game was more than just a competitive fixture, it was also an opportunity to highlight the values behind the Her Game Too campaign.
FGRW manager, Louise Fensome praised the movement “Her Game Too is obviously a really good cause to try and encourage women to be a part of sport, not just football but many other sports as well.
“It’s been a real privilege for them to be a part of what we put on here today at The New Lawn.”
The game ended in a 2-2 draw, but despite the result, the support didn’t go unnoticed as the support from the stands felt special, creating a lively atmosphere.
Rovers forward Estelle Randall scored a brace in the match and felt grateful for the attendance and opportunity to play at The New Lawn, “The size of the pitch allowed us to play the game we like too in the wide areas and I think we did well to be able to capitalise on those moments in the game.
“We were unfortunate with the result, allowing them to come back into it when they did but we’re still unbeaten in the league and that’s huge for us, so another point will hopefully take us towards winning the league.
“I think we feel pretty confident, there’s more people coming in boosting the squad, so plenty of legs left and plenty more to come from us and the only way is up for us really.
“We felt the energy on the pitch and a lot of players thrive off of that, and we really appreciate it. It helps us perform and we’re going to need that for the end of the season so keep coming along.”
Beyond the result, the occasion carried a wider significance by collaborating with Her Game Too around the fixture.
Forest Green helped shine a light on the importance of equality and respect in the sport with the campaign reinforcing the idea that football should be a place where everyone – players, fans, journalists and staff can enjoy the game without facing discrimination or abuse.
Fensome spoke about the importance of being backed by the club, “It feels great, being a woman in sport, to being a player and then going into a coaching roll especially with a club like Forest Green who completely back the women in every way possible is fantastic and I’m really proud to be part of it.
“Seeing our under 10s coming all the way through to our under 16s, to push for the women’s team is a really good joy that we can all take on board and is brilliant to see.”
The manager ended on a key message, “Keep coming to watch us, the women’s game just keeps growing so watch this space.”
