Charlotte tackles lack of women in Football

3rd July 2015

Women's football in England may have turned a corner after the team's best ever performance at the World Cup in Canada.

However, it seems that female players are still only receiving a fraction of the adulation, and pay, of their male counterparts. Now a student from Sheffield Hallam University is helping to raise the profile of female football players and get even more women on the pitch by teaming up with AFC Unity- a women's football club. As part of her degree, second-year English language student Charlotte Marshall worked with AFC Unity to spread the word about the team and encourage more women to get involved. Charlotte's work with AFC Unity was organised by Sheffield Hallam's Venture Matrix scheme and formed part of her course which required her to produce a piece of sports journalism which investigates a relevant social issue. Through gaining press coverage for articles she had written, Charlotte helped promote the fact that football isn't just a boys' game. Charlotte even joined the team herself as a regular player and trustee of the board. Through her work with AFC Unity, Charlotte also had the chance to apply her academic knowledge to real-world business problems, giving her valuable experience to take with her when she graduates. Alison McHale, senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam, taught Charlotte on her course. She said: "Working with AFC Unity brought Charlotte alive. Her passion for football and this project with the club shines through in class. She has utilised the skills she gained in her degree to promote and support the development of AFC Unity in its future direction, outreach and welfare." Charlotte hopes that her efforts have helped to break down the social barriers which prevent women's engagement in football. Charlotte said: "It has been inspirational and rewarding to see how much more coverage the women's world cup has received this year, far more so than any year previously. But it is still seen as a second thought especially in the UK. Even the fact that the tournament is prefixed by 'women's' implies this. -We are overjoyed that we have been extremely successful in raising the profile of women's football in Sheffield - I've seen more than 60 women of all ages and ability join during my time with the team. Hopefully in the near future we can prove to everyone that football is a women's game too and we can play as good as - if not better- than the men."