Abstract

The patriarchal hegemony engulfing British football continues to be problematic for girls and women who play. Despite years of intervention and focused initiatives alongside growing participation numbers; football culture still positions girls and women players as ‘other’. This cultural stronghold, however, is starting to weaken due to the players’ everyday experiences in relation to family, friendship, and activism. By taking a reflective account of my work in the field over the past decade I hope to provide new ways to think about equality, culture, and praxis. A critical focus on the ‘football self’ will be informed by my insider-perspective as former player, woman, and researcher. The use of ‘memory snippets’ will assist in framing my reflections in connection to the management and negotiation of football identities amidst a backdrop of historical oppression. By using a gender justice lens for analysis, a strategy towards social change in girls’ and women’s football is presented, in a bid to make football a more equitable space.