💬 Leah Williamson: 'Qatar World Cup is against everything I believe in, football is for everyone' 🟢 The Arsenal defender urged fans who boycott the competition to follow the Women’s Super League over the coming weeks instead
On the streets of Newport Pagnell, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes where she grew up, there is now a mural of the Lionesses skipper – but as a child she had to travel to Northamptonshire to play for Rushden & Diamonds. When she wanted to play locally, she had to make do with a boys’ team.
“Luckily I was comfortable to play for a boys’ team otherwise that could change your whole experience of football,” she adds. “You’ve got parents, the boys themselves, who aren’t the nicest when a girl turns up. You shouldn’t have to bank on somebody being thick-skinned enough to deal with it, we should provide an environment where they’re not subjected to that
“I’ve seen it throughout my career. If you look back over time, a lot of the reasons people didn’t get involved in the sport – especially women, non-binary people – was because there wasn’t a safe space for them to play. So you’re stuck between choosing to do something you love and feeling comfortable enough to do it.”
It is part of the reason the Lionesses have called upon the UK Government to ensure all girls have equal access to football. Euro 2022 set the ball rolling, but political upheaval has prevented major changes from being made to the curriculum. “It’s been terrible timing with all that’s gone on over at Parliament,” Williamson says. “I hope that’s the reason for it taking so long to materialise. But we’ve had some good conversations and we’re in the right places for our voices to be heard.”
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