Sport Writer Sophie Utteridge argues that women’s sport has been dangerously left behind by the COVID-19 pandemic
There is no doubt that the negative impact of COVID-19 on sport these past twelve months has been nothing less than catastrophic. From the cancellation of Wimbledon to the delayed Olympic Games, all forms of sport have been forced to adjust in some way. But for women’s sport, the pandemic has been detrimental to the progress that the sporting world has been making towards gender equality. It cannot escape notice that while every effort has been made to ensure the safe continuation of male competition, women’s sport was postponed, delayed or even cancelled all together because of the virus. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason for this, especially as it has been proven that sport can indeed continue when safety measures are properly planned and implemented. It begs the question: has women’s sport been left behind by the pandemic?
It seems unfair that these athletes are, in many ways, working for free
To really understand the inequalities faced by professional and semi-professional sportswomen, one must first look off the field of play. At the beginning of the pandemic, many professional clubs were, of course, concerned about their players’ fitness levels. Whilst sportsmen have had their own equipment provided to them, much of which was sent to their homes, sportswomen found themselves supplied with only the bare minimum or, worse still, forced to pay out of their own pockets for the fitness equipment to keep training. The Conversation reported that one female international rugby player stated that women’s squads had woefully little equipment to begin with – the pandemic just highlighted that fact. For sportswomen, many of who are not professionally contracted and earn their living on a match-by-match basis, paying for equipment to continue training was a painful stretch for their limited finances. Considering that sportswomen are still expected to maintain fitness, record results daily and attend online meetings with coaches and boards, it seems unfair that these athletes are, in many ways, working for free.
To add insult to injury, sportswomen were forced to watch as their male counterparts began competing once again while they were seemingly left behind and forgotten about by their National Governing Bodies (NGBs). Case in point: the decision to cancel the 2019/2020 season for the FA Women’s Super League while the Premier League was allowed to restart. Despite the report that the cancellation of the league was in the ‘best interests’ of women’s football, there seems to be no credible reason as to why the men could continue but the women could not. The FA claimed that the cancellation of the season would give women’s clubs more time to prepare for the following season – something that apparently they needed but the men did not. So, what was their real motivation? Surely some women’s football is better than none at all?
Women’s cricket risks losing all the positive momentum it had built up from the 2017 World Cup win
The same could be said for England cricket. When the England men’s team played a test series against the West Indies in the summer, it would be another two months until England women could play their first match. The women’s domestic game was also affected with start of The Hundred delayed in May then cancelled all together later in 2020, ruining the chances for many players to receive their first professional contract that they had been hoping for. With the postponement of the competition, combined with the lack of women’s international action, women’s cricket risks losing all the positive momentum it had built up from the 2017 World Cup win and the successful campaign in Australia’s T20 World Cup early last year. The break from international women’s cricket will end this February as England women have confirmed an ODI series against New Zealand. Welcome news for many, but when England men have an entire summer laid out for them against India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the women’s roadmap of just New Zealand and Pakistan are slim-offerings to say the least.
It is too soon to say for certain how the pandemic will affect women’s sport. Whilst we are already seeing the injustices faced by sportswomen coming to light, the pandemic’s continued effect on sport is far from over. The impact of COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities, highlighted the failings of professional sport and isolated sportswomen at a time when everyone needs to be supported. The risk to women’s professional sport definitely exists and, if these shortcomings are not addressed, a reduction in elite female sport could become a harsh reality.
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