How can the women’s game hold on to one of its unique selling points – that relationship between players and fans – while also recognising that the protection of its athletes – online and in public – is of paramount importance.
And how, in women’s football in particular and women’s sport more generally, can we find the balance between access and providing players with the protection that ensures their safety?.
Female players were also 29% more likely to be targeted with online abuse when compared with male players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
A report released by Fifa after the 2023 Women’s World Cup revealed that one in five players at the tournament had been targeted “with some form of discriminatory, abusive or threatening content”.
Abuse of women’s sport stars continues to increase in the online space, fuelled by some high-profile figures who all too willingly abandon the responsibility that comes with their position for clicks and engagement.
