Dads Three Times More Likely To Encourage Sons To Play Football Than Daughters, Says FA
Dads Don't Do Enough To Encourage Their Daughters To Play Football, Says FA
Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK
|
There's no denying football has long been considered a father-son sport.
We figured that in 2015, daughters would be starting to share the football love too. But according to new research from the Football Association, we thought wrong.
In fact, a new survey found that football comes seventh on the list of sports that dads would typically encourage their daughters to play.
Instead, they would prefer their offspring to engage in swimming, athletics, gymnastics, tennis, netball and even martial arts.
Open Image Modal
This news comes despite the fact that football remains the number one sport that dads want their sons to play.
When fathers revealed the reasons why they didn't encourage their daughters to play football, it rang some serious alarm bells.
A quarter of dads surveyed said they believed other sports were "better suited" to their daughters, while just under a quarter said that they thought their girls would prefer to play other sports.
Just over 20% of those surveyed said that they didn't encourage their daughters to play because "football is a mans’ game". And some even said that it was "unladylike" to play football or that their daughter would be perceived as "butch".
Meanwhile 13% of the 1,000 dads interviewed had a rather narrow-minded and sexist view that "women aren’t built to play football".
The FA report added that fathers are three times more likely to encourage their sons to play football than their daughters.
"For young girls, the support and encouragement of their dads - as well as mums and any other family member - can play a crucial role in them wanting to play and enjoy football," said Rachel Yankey, a footballer for England, Team GB and the Arsenal ladies team.
"When I’m coaching children it’s always upsetting to hear girls saying they’ve been told by an adult that football isn’t a suitable game for them to play.
"The women’s game has come a long way in recent years but now is the time that we need to start to remove the barriers that girls face in wanting to enjoy a sport that brings so much joy to so many people."
Story continues below...
Women's World Cup: England Squad
Karen Bardsley(01 of23)
Open Image Modal
Positon: Goalkeeper Club: Manchester City Caps: 43 Age: 30 Fast Fact: Bardsley was born and raised in California but qualifies for the England squad through family connections to Stockport. (credit:Richard Heathcote via Getty Images)
Carly Telford(02 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Goalkeeper Club: Notts County Caps: 5 Age: 27 Fast Fact: When she was at Leeds, Telford was named player of the match in the 2008 FA Cup final, even though Leeds lost 4-1 to Arsenal. (credit:Jon Buckle - The FA via Getty Images)
Siobhan Chamberlain(03 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Goalkeeper Club: Arsenal Age: 31 Fast Fact: Chamberlain has the same surname as Arsenal men's player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the same birthday. (credit:David Price via Getty Images)
Lucy Bronze(04 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Manchester City Caps: 16 Age: 23 Fast Fact: Bronze signed from Liverpool in November but missed the first three matches of City's season after undergoing knee surgery. She's said it was a "big relief" to make the squad after the set back. (credit:GEOFF ROBINS via Getty Images)
Laura Bassett(05 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Notts County Caps: 49 Age: 31 Fast Fact: According to the BBC, when she's not playing footie, Bassett tests her teammates knowledge as the squad's quiz master. (credit:Matt Lewis - The FA via Getty Images)
Alex Scott(06 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Arsenal Caps: 123 Age: 30 Fast Fact: Scott discovered her love of music while she was recovering from an injury and now picks the tunes the ladies listen to in the dressing room. (credit:Ben Hoskins - The FA via Getty Images)
Alex Greenwood (07 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Notts County Caps: 12 Age: 21 Fast Fact: Despite being a Liverpool supporter, Greenwood joined Everton when she was just eight years old. She ended her 13 year association with the team when she joined Notts County last January. (credit:Jon Buckle - The FA via Getty Images)
Steph Houghton(08 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Manchester City Caps: 53 Age: 27 Fast Fact: Despite playing in defence, Houghton scored in all three of team GB's group matches in the 2012 Olympics. (credit:Tom Szczerbowski via Getty Images)
Claire Rafferty(09 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Chelsea Caps: 9 Age: 26 Fast Fact: When she's not playing football, Rafferty is an analyst at Deutsche Bank. (credit:Tom Szczerbowski via Getty Images)
Katie Chapman(10 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Midfielder Club: Chelsea Caps: 85 Age: 32 Fast Fact: Chapman is one of only two mothers on the England team. She has three children: Harvey, 12, Riley, six and baby Zachary. (credit:GEOFF ROBINS via Getty Images)
Casey Stoney (11 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Defender Club: Arsenal Caps: 118 Age: 32 Fast Fact: Alongside training, Stoney and her partner (former Lincoln Ladies player Megan Harris) have been busy caring caring for their six-month-old twins, Teddy and Tilly. (credit:Ben Hoskins - The FA via Getty Images)
Jade Moore(12 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Midfielder Club: Birmingham City Caps: 16 Age: 24 Fast Fact: When Moore was 18 she won a Football Association scholarship to train at Loughborough University. Once there, a routine screening revealed she had two holes in her heart but she was soon back playing after corrective surgery. (credit:Clint Hughes - The FA via Getty Images)
Jordan Nobbs(13 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Midfielder Club: Arsenal Caps: 21 Age: 22 Fast Fact: Nobbs is the daughter of former Hartlepool player Keith Nobbs. (credit:Matt Lewis - The FA via Getty Images)
Jo Potter (14 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Midfielder Club: Birmingham City Caps: 19 Age: 30 Fast Fact: Potter's recall to the England squad comes after a seven-year absence. (credit:Nick Taylor - The FA via Getty Images)
Jill Scott(15 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Midfielder Club: Manchester City Caps: 90 Age: 28 Fast Fact: She's no stranger to silverware, having been on the teams that won the Women’s FA Cup in 2010 and the League Cup in 2008. (credit:Tom Szczerbowski via Getty Images)
Fara Williams(16 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Midfielder Club: Liverpool Caps: 139 Age: 31 Fast Fact: Williams has more caps under her belt than any other player in the team. (credit:Tom Dulat - The FA via Getty Images)
Eniola Aluko(17 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Chelsea Caps: 90 Age: 28 Fast Fact: Qualified lawyer Aluko will be writing a regular column for the BBC throughout the World Cup. (credit:Tom Dulat - The FA via Getty Images)
Karen Carney (18 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Birmingham City Caps: 103 Age: 27 Fast Fact: Earlier this year, Carney said suffering from depression almost made her give up football. But, she said, wanting to be a good role model to her niece got her back in the game. (credit:Christopher Lee - The FA via Getty Images)
Toni Duggan(19 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Manchester City Caps: 25 Age: 23 Fast Fact: Duggan scored the Women's Super League's goal of the season in 2014 against Chelsea. (credit:Dave Thompson - The FA via Getty Images)
Fran Kirby(20 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Reading Caps: 8 Age: 21 Fast Fact: Kirby returned to football last season following a four year absence after her mother's death. She's said she's determined to make her late mother proud in the World Cup. (credit:Tom Szczerbowski via Getty Images)
Lianne Sanderson(21 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Arsenal Caps: 46 Age: 27 Fast Fact: Sanderson is something of a globe-trotter having played for clubs in the US, Spain and Cyprus. (credit:Tom Szczerbowski via Getty Images)
Ellen White (22 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Notts County Caps: 50 Age: 25 Fast Fact: White is back on top form after having damaged a cruciate ligament in her knee during a pre-season friendly against Durham last year. (credit:Tom Szczerbowski via Getty Images)
Jodie Taylor (23 of23)
Open Image Modal
Position: Forward Club: Portland Thorns Caps: 8 Age: 28 Fast Fact: She may have began her career with local team Tranmere Rovers, but Taylor has since played for major clubs in the US, Canada and Australia. (credit:Dave Thompson - The FA via Getty Images)
The aim of the campaign is to highlight barriers that girls face when it comes to playing football, including the lack of encouragement and support from their parents.
Kelly Simmons, The FA’s director of women’s football, said: "With so much positivity about the women’s game at the moment, perceptions are changing but clearly barriers still exist.
"By highlighting them, we can challenge them. We Can Play does exactly that – it's about getting people talking about the issues that girls face – changing attitudes, building confidence and getting more girls playing."