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By Faye Hackwell
“Around 20 to 30 people who had paid to come in started shouting together that they wanted the sports therapist to take off her clothes in the middle of the pitch for their enjoyment.”
“Each time the female physio ran onto the pitch to give treatment, a very small minority of young fans sang sexist chants, including ‘she’s got chlamydia’.”
“The physio came on to treat an injured player and this caused a section of supporters to serenade her with a chorus of ‘get your t*ts out for the lads’.”
From group chants about exposing intimate body parts to persistent wolf whistling and offensive comments about being romantically involved with players, the reports received by Her Game Too relating to the abuse of women working in medical roles in football are shocking.
The campaign recently partnered with Shrewton United, after the club was forced to delete a social media post announcing their new female sports rehabilitator Issy Anderson when it reached 1.2 million impressions and attracted thousands of comments relating to her looks and gender.
And that was not an isolated incident, as the reports received on a regular basis by Her Game Too show this is a widespread problem women are being subjected to - both online and in person - while simply trying to carry out their jobs.
One fan reported overhearing a man describing to his son what he’d like to do sexually with a female sports therapist, while another incident involved a tannoy announcement urging fans to stop misogynistic chanting and match officials getting involved in raising reports.
Some told Her Game Too they received abuse themselves when they challenged fellow fans about their sexist chanting and others found stewards were sometimes reluctant to take action.
One football fan reported: “I heard the sexist chanting but from where I was sitting I couldn’t see who said it.
“What bothered me more than anything was the fans abusing the poor guy who called them out.”
None of this surprises Shrewton United’s Issy Anderson who has become a Her Game Too Advocate following her recent experience, which saw her receiving unwelcome messages on social media personally, as well as on the club’s announcement post.
She loves her job as a sports rehabilitator in football, alongside working in a clinic part-time, and feels privileged to get to do what she does for a living - but she says the only downside is the offensive comments regularly directed towards her.
“It’s not just on social media, it’s in person as well,” she said.
“Pretty much every game I’ve done, I’ve had something shouted at me from the stands and it’s never very nice.
“You feel it’s just part of the job almost, which is sad to say.”
Issy feels the amount of abuse and disgusting comments she and other females working in similar positions are subjected to wouldn’t be accepted in other professions - and aren’t as prevalent in other sports outside of football.
“After what happened with the Shrewton United post, I was just like ‘enough is enough, I can’t just keep going’.
“It needs people to speak out.
“It’s weird that someone would go out to voice that hate to someone they don’t know and it makes it a very strange working environment.”
Issy finds she is usually in the minority as a female in the football sports therapy world, with only around five of the 24 teams in the National League having women in the position while she was working for Dorking Wanderers last season.
“A male physio wouldn't get this sort of treatment - the comments on the pitch or the comments online - it’s directed at women, which is a really sad thing to say.”
At bigger stadiums, Issy has found the comments can get drowned out so it’s easier to shut them out, but often, when others join in to form a group chant, it can feel even more intimidating.
“I shouldn't have to think about that during a match when my main focus is the players and them avoiding injuries.
“But, instead, I'm thinking about which way to walk back so I don’t get any rude comments, which is sad to say.”
Issy acknowledges the culture is not going to change overnight and there’s no simple fix, but she hopes that if more women in her position speak out then attitudes will change over time.
“It's a tough one because it's such a big issue, but if you just leave it and brush it under the carpet then it's going to keep happening.
“So it’s better to speak out about it and show people that it's not okay - just keep fighting against it.”
Issy said the amount of support and positivity she received after the Shrewton United post incident surprised and helped to comfort her at a difficult time.
“I think in the past, people have been like ‘it is what it is, it’s football, it’s not going to change, so there’s no point in bringing it up’.”
But she’s found the committee and management team at Shrewton United have treated what happened to her extremely seriously - taking a stand rather than just deleting the post and moving on, and showing misogyny and sexism isn’t acceptable and merely ‘part of the game’.
So she feels confident that they, as a Her Game Too Partner Club, would support her and take action if anything similar happened in the future.
And Issy wants other females working in sport to have somewhere they can report incidents like she has experienced and to know they will be properly dealt with, so other women and girls aren’t discouraged from working in a role that can be so rewarding.
“I got to the point where I thought ‘I could be working in a clinic or in any other sport and I wouldn't be getting this sort of abuse so why should I carry on with football?’.
The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine stressed the importance of clubs and governing bodies in sport supporting women working in medical roles, by implementing effective policies and procedures for reporting and addressing incidents of harassment.
The association, which supports and provides a network for Chartered Physiotherapists working in sports and exercise-related roles, told Her Game Too in a statement: "Governing bodies and individual football clubs have a vital responsibility to address the pervasive issue of harassment and discrimination faced by female medical staff, including physiotherapists, in the sport.
“Unfortunately, women working in football often face significant barriers to advancing their careers, including unequal pay, limited opportunities for promotion and a lack of representation in leadership roles.
“Moreover, they are often subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination from fans, coaches, and even colleagues, which can create a toxic environment that undermines their ability to perform their duties effectively.
“Female physiotherapists, in particular, play a crucial role in ensuring the health and well-being of players.
“However, they often face unique challenges that can hinder their ability to work in the sport - for example, they may be subject to inappropriate comments or gestures from coaches or players, which can be distracting and unprofessional.
“They may also face scepticism about their ability to perform certain tasks or make decisions, simply because of their gender.”
The ACPSEM urges clubs and governing bodies to provide training and education programmes for coaches, players and other staff on unconscious bias and respect for female medical staff, to implement policies to promote equal pay and opportunities for promotion and increase the representation of women in leadership roles within clubs and governing bodies.
The association also calls for a culture of respect and inclusivity within the sport and for social media platforms to manage behaviour and promote change in society to allow people to self-police what is acceptable and appropriate.
The statement concluded: “By taking these steps, we can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for female physiotherapists and other medical staff to work in the sport.
“We can ensure that they are valued, respected, and empowered to perform their duties to the best of their ability."