Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday respond to concerns about sexism at football matches

Coun Shaffaq Mohammed said more needed to be done to tackle sexism at football clubs in a recent strategy and resources committee meeting.

In the meeting, the committee approved plans to tackle violence against women and girls – a commitment made when it became accredited by the White Ribbon campaign last year.

Coun Mohammed said: “Having been to football matches with my daughter, it has been an interesting experience sometimes. The shock of some people seeing an Asian girl going to a football match has driven some interesting comments especially when I’ve been waiting for her outside the female toilets for example.

“I welcome this plan but let’s not just have it as a council programme. If you can, take it out into the wider community and particularly our very male dominated football supporter groups.”

Council officers confirmed they would be working together with other organisations in the city including football clubs.

A survey of 371 women by #HerGameToo campaign found 91.9 per cent had witnessed sexist abuse online in football and 63.1 per cent had experienced it themselves.

The campaign also found that 58.4 per cent experienced sexist abuse at football grounds or in a pub watching football.

In one case a woman said: “An opposing fan pushed me against a wall and said I was asking to be raped when I disagreed with his opinion about the game.”

What are Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday football clubs doing to tackle sexism at matches?

In response to Coun Mohammed’s concerns, both Sheffield clubs responded by outlining what they were doing to tackle sexism.

A Sheffield Wednesday spokesperson said the Owls are dedicated to raising awareness of and eradicating any form of sexism and violence in football.

They said the club engaged with hundreds of young people through educational workshops in partnership with the White Ribbon Campaign and fostered a productive partnership with #HerGameToo.

They also have plans in place to create a Women’s Safety Charter in partnership with Sheffield Wednesday Women’s Supporters Group.

The spokesperson said: “This will complement quarterly meetings with female fans to discuss emerging or persistent themes.

“On matchdays, the club has platforms in place on which to report any discriminative issues, including sexism, in real time.

“In addition, we continue to engage with Stonewall to provide training around sexism while hosting in-house education classes on sexist offences.”

Sheffield United said they partnered with #HerGameToo on International Women’s Day this year.

Stephen Bettis, United’s chief executive officer, said #HerGameToo was one of a number of groups the club have collaborated with to ensure women and girls feel comfortable and safe.

He said: “The representation of women and girls at our matches is one of the key areas that we are concentrating our efforts and we’ve monitored, with great interest, the rise and great work of #HerGameToo and are proud to partner with such a fantastic organisation.”