SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY

BA Journalism

2014

From Stilettoes to Studs: Female Football Journalists in the UK- Social Phenomenon or Hidden Struggle?

By Rachel Cummins

21006955

Dissertation Advisor: Julie Gillin

CONTENTS:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT 1

INTRODUCTION 2

METHODOLOGY:

The survey 3

Interviews 5

FINDINGS 6

LITERATURE REVIEW:

The history of female sport journalists 17

The locker room theory 18

Female sports print journalists in the UK 18

Sporting professionals vs Journalists 19

Broadcast Journalism 21

DISCUSSION 22

CONCLUSION 24

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND APPENDIX 26

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to firstly thank my dissertation tutor, Julie Gillin, who has not only guided me in the completion of this research, but allowed me to bombard her office on a number of occasions in a state of panic. Her calm and encouraging demeanour has ensured that I am saying goodbye to my time here at Sheffield Hallam University grey hair free.

I would also like to thank everyone who participated in my research, in particular, interviewees Janine Self and Sue Smith: Janine for her in depth and interesting accounts and Sue, for her patience when technology refused to play ball. The time you took out to help me on my endeavour has not only made my paper what it is today, but inspired me to never give up dreams, no matter how tough they may seem.

To my flat mates, thank you for putting up with my short temper and for your high spirits. Your encouragements after a long day at the library are what kept me going through many uneventful weekends with my head in a book.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents: my mum for picking up the phone during all hours of the day to calm me down and provide encouragement, and to my dad, for his excellent proof reading skills and constructive comments.

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the world of females in football journalism and explores its culture in the UK. Through the use of primary research- including surveys and interviews- and literature it examines what trends exist and how women have progressed in the industry.

One major point concluded is that females are extremely under-represented in football journalism, despite an increase in women sport reporters. However, within this paper, it is determined that reasoning behind this notion cannot be fully blamed on sexism. There is much evidence to suggest that not enough women are attempting to break into the industry, thus, meaning that the ratio in gender is, possibly, well representative.

However, through the use of case studies, this paper concludes that football is still very much a male dominated arena, both in the sport and journalism. Reporters tell of their experiences with managers and editors who have made them feel supressed because of their gender. Thus, showing sexism is still prominent within the industry.

Additionally, this report explores the nature of female football broadcast reporters and how they are viewed by both the public and colleagues. Survey results show that 68% of participants believe that women are expected to look a certain way and commented that on channels, such as Sky Sports, their employment is based more on how telegenic they are, rather than their sporting knowledge- a notion that has also been noted on in literature. It can be seen that this has had a direct impact on the suspected credibility of female football journalists, which raises the point that there needs to be more research done into a possible difference between a "presenter role" and reporter.

Finally, this paper unearths the problem that its topic is largely unexplored. Little research has tapped into why females are so outnumbered in football journalism within the UK and, has instead, focused on sport as a whole, mainly in America. This brings with it the idea that it has potentially not been deemed important enough by academics to examine.

Overall, this paper determines that there has indeed been an improvement in gaining equilibrium between genders in sports journalism, but old school hyper-macho attitudes still exist. However, with an increasing amount of next generation journalists coming through, this will surely only decline.

Page| 1

INTRODUCTION

The UK has always been a nation that is extremely proud and passionate about sport, but none is as popular as football.

It has enchanted generations of Britons and therefore, has always had an integral role in the media. This extensive following has created a lot of work for sports journalists and it is a career that brings with it a lot of demand, respect and comment.

But despite having an increasingly mixed gendered band of supporters, the role of the football reporter has always been overwhelming male. To this day the Sports Journalism Association only has a 10% female membership. Half of which work in PR and other fields- leaving only 5% who are female sports reporters. (Women, sport and the media: the SJA’s report 2013) It is important for us to then consider how many of these work in football rather than other sports.

As well as looking at figures, this paper tries to understand what it is like to work in the industry as a female.

They are increasingly seen on our televisions and can be found in a number of national papers, but I will be asking what this means. The recent boost in female voices may not necessarily represent a triumph, but rather a curtain hiding the public from the struggles women face to be heard.

I have chosen to explore this topic because it has had a lot of exposure over the last 10 years and sporting females are gaining flourishing profiles. This was extensively seen during the London 2012 Olympics. But there is little actual research to be found specifically within the UK on football.

Through this paper I am going to find out what it is like for females who work in the industry. This includes the extent to which they are exposed to sexism and the level of equality that exists between them and their male counterparts.

These are important questions because a seeming increase of female football journalists does not mean that the fight for equilibrium is over.

But women are not only fighting the system to be on a level playing field, they are facing the public. Being a journalist means you are seen and heard by potentially millions of people on a daily basis. Football is still a predominantly male sport, to which women are still seen as outsiders by some.

I will be discovering if this has a direct impact on how female reporters are regarded by the public. By asking my sample if they have a preference to which gender they receive their football news from, I can see if women are held in any disregard. If this is the case, I will be searching to see what can be done to ensure that they are not put off working in the industry through fear of potential sexism.

Page| 2

I am also interested to find out about the reality of a glass ceiling. Presently, there is only one Sports Editor on a national newspaper who is female- Alison Kervin from The Mail on Sunday. Additionally, there has never been a woman Chief Football Reporter.

This could be suggesting that female football reporters only go so far and can never reach the top level because of their gender. Case studies with individuals in the industry will help me gain a further understanding of this.

I have also chosen to scrutinize the role of female football broadcast journalists. This is because their job is different to that of a print writer. It has been suggested that on channels like Sky Sport News, women are selected just because of the way they look rather than their knowledge.

This is an important concept because it may be taking away the creditability of those who have worked tirelessly for recognition. It is a theory that will also involve talking to the public to fully understand. I will then pose this to those who work in the industry to discover if there is any truth behind the theory.

My topic is one that I am passionate about and believe there is much to be learnt from it. There has been very little research done in the UK on female sports journalists. This raises the question, why? It could be suggested that the nation has never thought it to be a topic worth investigating, therefore think it of little importance.

METHODOLOGY

The Survey:

Because there has been very little research done on female football journalists in the UK, it was imperative I gained as much data as possible.

A large part of my strategy was to discover the public’s impression of female reporters. To gain quantitative data for this I sent out a survey (Survey Monkey) and was able to acquire over 100 recipients, but will analyse the initial 100.

To gain my sample I used a snowball system. Firstly I advertised it on social media and then asked everyone who completed the questionnaire to share it with their friends and family. This worked well and I received 100 responses in less than a week. To ensure that I had a diverse range of ages, I also asked participants to email it to someone of a different generation.

Page| 3

At the beginning of my survey, all participants were asked their age and gender. This was added because it enabled me to search for trends between different sexes and generations. However, I made the questionnaire anonymous to ensure participants felt comfortable enough to answer honestly.

I wanted to acquire quantitative data because it is a simple way to display and compare information. This is done easily through the use of close ended questions. “These studies take a scientific approach since the numerical data can provide evidence for the variables.” (Sumerson 2014)

All questions were compulsory to create a continuity of responses and consistent analysis.

After age and gender, my online survey asked:

1. Do you use the media to follow football in the UK?

I asked this because it is important to know how many of my participants have an active interest in the topic. I could then pick out their answers and compare them with individuals who were not as interested in football journalism.

2. Do you think female football journalists are well represented in the UK?

This question was chosen early on because it presents a quick picture of whether the public think there is a fair amount of females in the industry. However, in review, it could be suggested that it was leading because it possibly made the participants feel they had to conform to what they thought was expected.

3. Would you agree that female football journalists have become more prominent in the last 20 years?

Here we can discover if the public has noticed that there has been an increasing amount of women in the industry before we ask them about their thoughts on it.

4. Do you think the UK is accepting of female football journalists?

With this I am able to discover the public’s view of themselves. It is interesting to see if they believe the UK to be dismissive of females or not.

5. Do you think males and females receive equal opportunities in football journalism within the UK?

I asked this question to learn what view the outside world has on the culture of the industry. This is important because we can then determine if there is an expectation that females are exposed to sexism, therefore, potentially deterring women from considering it as a career path.

Page| 4

6. Do you think there is pressure on female football broadcast journalists in the UK to look a certain way?

Here I pose a very interesting question because it helps me understand if there is a public expectation for females, who work in football broadcast journalism, to look a certain way. If I can conclude that there is, this could then be affecting employment- if there is a demand for a certain type of journalist from viewers, companies will be considering this when assessing candidates.

7. Do you think the gender of a football journalist affects their level of credibility?

This question is a key topic in my research. If the majority of participants answer yes, then it’s clear that gender is still used as an ingredient when debating a good football journalist.

8. Which gender of journalist would you prefer to receive football news from?

Ending on this question allows me to wrap up the survey by discovering what the participant’s personal preference is- if any. By this time I hope to have made them comfortable with answering the survey questions so that they can be honest with their opinions and thus, reducing social desirability.

However, I know my topic is one that creates much debate, so I ensured that my survey had the option for comment as well. This was important because it allowed the participants to give explanation and thought behind their answers. “Closed-ended questions are easier to administer and to score, but can produce bland or sterile answers.” (Swetnam 2004)

My quantitative data allows me to discover what already exists, whereas my qualitative research helps me search for something new.

Interviews:

To improve the quality of my qualitative data I have also performed interviews with people in the industry. One is a long serving female football reporter at a national level. The other has played professionally to international standard but has also done a lot of broadcasting work.

I chose to use case studies in my research because they provide evidence to my findings and therefore increase the validity of them. They are important because they find information on people's feelings by asking them to give their own interpretation, or account, of what they have experienced. (Walliman 2014)

I found both of my participants by contacting them directly. I chose them specifically because I wanted to touch on different aspects on the industry. I can now compare the thoughts of someone with a journalism background with one who has played the sport. Additionally, one works in print and the other in broadcasting. This range will ensure that every sector is well represented.

Page| 5

To make the most of these interviews, I performed them face to face and over the phone. This helps the quality of my data because it meant I could adapt my questions as I went along in response to their answers. It also meant that I often received responses I was not expecting and would not of had I just requested an email interview.

Additionally, the face to face interview allowed me to record the conversation, with permission from the participant. This helped me go back and analyse everything that had been said again, avoiding missing anything.

The preparation that went into each interview was very similar. I approached each having done research on the participant and with a list of questions and discussion areas I wanted to cover. It was particularly useful to perform my quantitative research first because it meant I could discuss my data with individuals who have had direct experience.

FINDINGS

My research consisted of a survey and interviews with female football journalists. Here, I will look into the quantitative data I have gathered and compare with case studies from professionals to see if there are any trends.

The first interviewee was Janine Self, a football reporter who covered the Midlands at "The Sun" for 15 years and worked her way up through the ranks. She is now the Vice-Chairman of the Sports Journalism Association and a freelance reporter for national papers.

My second interview was with Sue Smith- a professional football player who captained the female England team. She continues to play for Doncaster but often works in broadcast journalism covering games for the BBC and Sky Sports.

As previously stated, there were over 100 responses to the survey which aimed to explore the public's perception of female sports journalists. Through the use of a snowball system, the participants were measured as 63% male and 37% female. This further illustrates that football remains a male-dominated sport. By failing to respond to the questionnaire, women are displaying less interest in the subject matter.

Page| 6

DATA 1: Age

My sample had a diverse range of ages (see DATA 1). It is clear that individuals aged between 21 and 29 showed the most interest as they are the largest group of participants. It could be suggested that this is because I advertised my survey largely on social media which is predominantly used by that age group.

However, this was closely followed by 50-59 year olds with 27%, which supports the theory that football journalism is a subject of interest to a large variety of people.

75% of my participants said that they use the media to follow football in the UK; another 20% said they do occasionally. This is important because it shows that 95% of my sample has an active involvement in the topic area, and thus, will have a well-informed opinion about female football journalists.

DATA 2: Do you think female football journalists are well represented in the UK?

Page| 7

59% of participants agreed that female football journalists are not represented well enough in the UK (see DATA 2). This is over twice the amount of people who disagreed, showing that the public are largely exposed to more male journalists than they are female. When given the option to comment, some participants admitted they struggled to think of any at all:

"Sadly I can't name one off the top of my head"

"I would find it difficult to name one"

"You don't naturally think of a female sports journalist when considering the leaders in the field"

However, we must not dismiss the importance of the quarter of participants who believe that women are well represented. Some of these individuals commented stating that they are over represented: "Over-represented in my opinion on every football programme."

But when analysing my results further I find that from those 25 participants, who believe females are represented well, 19 are male. Therefore a much higher percentage of men believe that female football journalists are well represented in the UK than women. See below.

DATA 3

Page| 8

DATA 4

From this data, it could be suggested that men have a lower concern for the under-representation of female football journalists because they are content with how they receive their news and, therefore, do not believe a more equal representation is necessary- whilst the female audience show a desire for a more equal balance of gender.

Janine Self says that the reason there are not as many female football journalists in the UK is because there aren't enough applying:

"Companies probably have 1000 applicants and out of them, probably 950 of them have been men. So therefore, the ratio is right. If they were to ensure they had 10 women, it would be a false ratio. You would actually be then discriminating against men."

Suggesting that, before male and female football journalists are on a more equal employment ratio, more women need to be encouraged to apply. Sue Smith agreed, saying:

"It’s about increasing their confidence to get into the industry, as it can be quite intimidating. It’s also important they have strong role models to look up to- It’s the only way we’ll really change the attitudes."

One question that was largely in agreement is that of the growth in female football journalists (DATA 5).

DATA 5: Do you agree that female football journalists have become more prominent in the last 20 years?

Only 6% of participants answered that they do not think there has been a rise of female journalists in the UK in the last 20 years. This is a strong indication that the majority of the public have noticed a change in trends.

Sue Smith agreed with this finding, she said:

Page|96

"What’s important to remember is that if football journalism is only 20% female, it was only 10% 20 years ago. So it’s definitely on the increase."

Janine Self said football is a much nicer sport than it used to be because of the development of generations:

"I think it’s about the next generation of men coming through. I get a lot of letters from young men and I’m pretty sure they don’t even think about the fact that I’m a woman. There’s been a sea change, but there is still a long way to go and it’s very difficult for women. But I don’t think there is any longer an innate desire not to have a female."

Therefore, both sets of data suggest that football journalism is becoming an increasingly mixed gendered industry.

Many of the 10% who selected "other" suggested that this is only the case in broadcasting and that nothing seems to have changed in print- an interesting notion that I explore later.

"I have noticed there are an increasing number of female football/sports journalists in prominent positions on BBC radio and Sky Sports" (From DATA 5)

When asked if the UK is accepting of female football journalists, 47% of participants answered yes. This is over double the amount who said no- 23%. (See appendix)

This shows us that the majority of the public believe they are accepting of women in the industry. However, the professionals I have spoken to have experienced this to be different.

Janine Self has been exposed to a number of sexist comments throughout her career; one that she remembers well is that of ex-international footballer and professional manager, Joe Royle.

"I criticised his team, Oldham, then when I got to the office he had left a message saying: tell that bloody woman to stick to knitting!" She said.

"My boss at the Mirror did say that I would be able to do a good enough job as a reporter but he was worried that I wouldn’t be accepted by the managers."

From this it could be suggested that it is not the public that female football journalists receive sexism from, but professionals in the industry. Janine struggled with discrimination from editors as well:

"I received a phone call one night whilst in bed asleep and it was Benny Hill, who was the sports editor at The Morning Telegraph! He was ringing me up because the editor had passed on my letter, who had quite liked the tone of it. But the first thing Benny said to me was; 'you don’t want to come do you? There’s no point, I don’t want to employ you. I won’t employ a chuffing woman.'"

Page| 10

Janine went to the interview anyway, and began reporting on football for them- despite being regarded as a "freak", she says.

However not all participants were convinced either way. One answered:

“Somewhere in between yes and no- I think intelligent people realise that women do the job just as well men, but the sport is so deeply entrenched with tradition and history that I think it will take another generation or so at least before women are taken seriously.”

Whilst others suggested that females are not as accepted as males because they haven’t played the sport to a high enough standard to report on it. This seemed to be a recurring comment, which may have something to do with the increasing amount of ex-professionals who merge from playing to reporting- for example Gary Lineker and more recently, Gary Neville, have been hugely popular.

One participant said: “I would be surprised if there wasn't a common notion that female journalists commentating on a sport they have never played or have limited experience of (i.e. male soccer at a professional level) naturally lessens their ability to provide insightful or accurate observations.”

Janine Self described this as nonsense. She said: "I can point to an awful lot of very fat, nonathletic men in the press box who have never played it. Their only exercise is raising a pint glass to their lips. So I think that is completely wrong."

Professional footballer, Sue Smith, agreed with the survey participants, saying that playing has worked to her advantage.

"I would say I’m definitely more accepted as an ex-player because there is a greater assumption that I know the game well. People recognise me and therefore accept me more. The audience’s perception is that I possibly have more credibility than female reporters who have not played."

However, she told me that it has been difficult when reporting on the men's game:

"When I do report on men’s football I have experienced some negative feedback. I think this is because people are more passionate about the clubs than in the women’s game- it’s so easy for people to criticise behind a screen."

"For example once I pronounced a name wrong and they would tweet: "she can’t even get his name right!" But it will happen when you’re in the spot light, you need to get used to it I guess."

Janine has experienced this too: "I'm on Twitter, and every so often I do get a tweet saying 'go make the tea love' and that kind of thing. And I am sure that will carry on, the abuse that some women get!"

These accounts appear to just be the tip of the iceberg when debating sexism on twitter. In August 2013, Twitter publicly apologised for abuse on the site after three female journalists said they had been the subject of bomb threats, while two received threats of rape. (Express 2013)

Page| 11

Despite the survey suggesting that female journalists are accepted in the UK, the majority of my sample did not think that females receive equal opportunities to men. In addition, less than 10% believe they do. (See DATA 6)

DATA 6: Do you think that females receive equal opportunities in football journalism within the UK?

This is interesting because it displays an institutional preconception that female football journalists find success a much more difficult task than men.

Many comments suggested that the reason for this is because they see a much larger number of male journalists than female.

"I don't think they receive equal opportunities in football journalism within the UK because there seems to be more males journalists than females which is wrong."

"The overwhelming majority are male so there is bound to be some institutional preconceptions which make it harder for a female journalist to get a start."

However it is important to note that nearly a quarter of participants said that they didn't know if females are given equal opportunities in football journalism, possibly because they only consume journalism rather than working in it.

Janine Self believes that a glass ceiling does exist because there are no female chief football writers.

"I covered Wales against England at Old Trafford about 7 years ago. Wembley was being rebuilt and I walked into the press room and there was only one other woman there. It was wall to wall men. All chief football writers are men- I can't see that changing."

Page| 12

"But I do worry about tokenism with women in football journalism, because that doesn't help the cause."

Throughout my questionnaire, participants repeatedly noted about the conception that female journalists are largely used because of the way they look rather than their sporting knowledge. So unsurprisingly, nearly 70% of them agreed that there is pressure on female football journalists in the UK to look a certain way. (See DATA 7)

DATA 7: Do you think there is pressure on female football broadcast journalists in the UK to look a certain way?

This is a very important part of my research because it suggests that there is still a strong preconception that female journalists are only hired for their looks. Therefore, there could still be a long way to go before gender is completely taken out of the equation in football journalism.

A large number of participants linked this to Sky Sports News, suggesting that their female journalists are only used as presenters and are hired to look pretty for the majority male audience.

"Must be attractive and almost all are blonde as it is expected that no one will listen to them unless they are attractive."

"This is a general malaise throughout the media industry, where age and "looks" seem to count for more than professional credibility."

"I get the impression that they wouldn't perhaps get the position if they were not perceived to be good looking."

"Look fit on sky."

Page| 13

These comments strongly suggest that, according to the public, there is pressure on female football journalists.

Janine Self agrees that Sky Sports do put a lot of attention on looks, but not necessarily just on women.

She said: "After Keys and Grey left, there hasn't been quite so much cleavage on view. But then I also look at the BBC and people like Gabby Logan and yes they are all very nice looking, but my god they are all brilliant broadcasters! I guess the question is: would you have a fantastic broadcaster who is really ugly?"

"But in Sky Sports News it's not just the women, it happens with guys as well."

Sue Smith agreed that there is a negativity around Sky Sports, but insists it is improving.

"You do get a lot of people commenting: "Why is she on there? She knows nothing." I have to stick up for female journalists quite a lot and say yes they do know what they are talking about; they are just doing their presenting job. They don’t get to necessarily show their knowledge."

"I’ve also heard a lot of men say: “It’s just weird hearing female voices talking about football” so there is definitely still a fight going on in broadcasting."

The question that split my participants the most was that of gender affecting credibility. (See DATA 8)

Page| 14

DATA 8: Do you think the gender of a football journalist affects their level of credibility?

This shows that despite the majority agreeing that a female football journalist does not lose credibility because she is a woman; still 43% of participants believe they do.

Again, comments show that one reason for this is because females do not play football to a level that is as high as males, so therefore are not as creditable when reporting on it.

"I would imagine that a large proportion of males think that lack of participation in football would make females less credible."

"I think many men would not pay as much attention to a female sports journalist unless they have a level of credibility within their sport."

Both my interviewees were in agreement that because of their gender, women have to work harder than men to gain credit.

Janine, who admits she was naïve about how difficult the industry would be, said:

"Anyone can make a mistake, you can sit there on a night match, see the ball in the net, you're not sure who scored and you get it wrong. If it's a man he's made a mistake. If it's a woman- you shouldn’t have let her do the football."

Sue agrees that women have to work to a higher level in football.

"What’s a shame is that it seems that females have to perform better than males to succeed. They need to work to a higher level, otherwise they fall into stereotypes."

"Whenever I go to a press conference I feel like I have to be spot on, which can be massively intimidating. There is a double standard where you ask a question and everyone thinks you're stupid. But if a guy asks it, people are more than willing to answer. This doesn’t happen anywhere near as much in the women’s game."

Sue also suggested that one reason for this is because, from a young age, women are guided towards different sports such as netball. They therefore are entering the football industry automatically disadvantaged.

Finally, an overwhelming three quarters of participants said they have no preference over what gender they receive football news from. (See DATA 9)

Page| 15

DATA 9: Which gender of journalist would you prefer to receive your football news from?

This is important because, despite other findings which may suggest females are fighting a battle against sexism in football journalism, it seems the majority of the public is not biased either way.

"I don't care - I believe in meritocracy so if an individual has the ability then I respect their right to do a job regardless of race or gender."

"I do not care about the sex of the presenter, only that they are well informed, educated and capable of adding valuable insight to the sport."

"Could be a smurf for all I care."

This supports Janine Self's positivity that "the only way is up!"

"If anyone says you can't do it, that's nonsense. It's all about how much you want to do it."

Sue Smith concluded that much still needs to be done, but the disproportion in football journalism is reflective of society as a whole.

"There definitely needs to be more equality, but I think you can say that about anything, we have a way to go."

"But I firmly believe that these days, if you’re good enough you should be OK."

Page| 16

LITERATURE REVIEW

As stated earlier, there has been very little research done in the UK on female football journalists and academic work has been predominantly focused in America. "If the history of sports journalism in the British Press has been little more than a footnote in academic studies of journalism, then the position of women in this area of journalism has merited, until recently, barely a sentence." (Boyle 2006, p146)

In addition, it seems that studies have explored sports journalism as a whole, rather than just football or soccer. It is therefore, difficult to conclude its importance in this paper because different sports bring with them different gender norms.

The history of female sport journalists:

Much of the research that has been done looks into the history of females in sports journalism. Kaszuba (2003) argues that, in the US, women's involvement can be dated back to the 1920s:

"Contrary to the impression conveyed by many scholars and members of the popular press, women's participation in the field of sports journalism is not a relatively recent phenomenon. Rather, the widespread emergence of female sports reporters can be traced to the 1920s, when gender-based notions about employment and physicality changed substantially. Those changes, together with a growing leisure class that demanded expanded newspaper coverage of athletic heroes, allowed as many as thirty-five female journalists to make inroads as sports reporters at major metropolitan newspapers during the 1920s." (Boyle 2006, p148)

Another reason highlighted in research for the introduction of women in sports journalism is war. During the First and Second World Wars, many females were brought into news rooms to fill the shoes of male reporters who had been sent away to fight- including sport reporting. However, in the aftermath most women were then dismissed, to be replaced by their male counterparts. It was assumed, by many, that women would prefer being at home. But just in case, some had signed contracts agreeing to do so. (Allan 2005, p43)

Chambers et al. agrees that females made a much bigger impact early on in the United States. When discussing the period between 1850 and 1945 they say that "women could and would muscle their way into covering literally everything from sports to international affairs, although by no means in the same number as men." (Chambers, Steiner and Fleming 2004, p34)

Page| 17

However, despite this, sports journalism in the USA has been a struggle for women. They often have to battle for acceptance in the face of prejudice, hostility and even violence from a male dominated sports culture. (Boyle 2006, p148)

The locker room theory:

A common notion that has been explored in the US is the hyper-macho theory of "the locker room," which suggests that women struggle to report on sport because they are denied entrance to the changing room where players are often interviewed. There have been a number of reasons used to explain this, one even being "peeking."

Chambers et al. point out a number of examples of this: "Boston Globe sports reporter, Lesley Visser was ejected from several male locker rooms across several sports, members of the Cleveland Indians players harassed Jane Gross, of the New York Times; Melody Simmons of the Baltimore Evening Sun was verbally harassed in the Orioles' locker room. A Green Bay Packer 'vigorously fondled' himself while being interviewed by Rachel Shuster, of USA Today. A Detroit Tiger dumped ice water on a woman and Dave Kingman of Oakland A's sent (reporter Amy) Fornoff a live rat because he didn't want her interviewing players in the locker room." (Chambers, Steiner and Fleming 2004, p114-115)

When women started being accused of wanting to "peek" as an excuse to keep them out, Fornoff (1993) said: "No, not even those slow Luther Vandross tunes… could turn this grown-up version of a tree-house into a love shack." American-football reporter, Melanie Hauser, also commented: "Sometimes their idea of equal access is women standing outside while men go in." (Quoted in Miller and Miller 1995) (Chambers, Steiner and Fleming 2004, p115)

Therefore, suggesting, that despite having a head start in mixed gendered sports reporting, there is still evidence of recent sexist claims within the American media.

Women sport print journalists in the UK:

It is still a largely thought notion that women are under-represented in sports journalism in the UK. In 2005, a survey showed that there were 160 reporters with by-lines in the sport pages of national daily newspapers, 14 of which were female. From this 14, only 5 of them worked in football. In total, women accounted for less than 9% of the sports journalists working in the national UK press. A second survey examined the amount of journalists who carried by-lines in the sport pages of national Sunday papers- which are brimming with football news. It found that fewer than 3% of them were female. (Boyle 2006, p149) Showing that still in the 21st Century, female sports journalists are something of a rarity.

Page| 18

One explanation for this, particularly in football, is that women are thought to have a weaker knowledge of the sport than men. In 1999, a then football columnist of The Times, Lynne Truss, noted that there was a strong attitude of, "women can't write about football, because they don't play it." She said:

"By the same token, of course, theatre critics start each day with a speech from Hamlet, while dance critics squat at the barre. Open hostility was rare, but Brian Glanville, a legendary polygot aesthetician of the game and erstwhile Times football colleague, once said in front of witnesses that had he known his spare ticket was for me, he'd have torn it up."amHH

(Truss 1999, p128)

Brian Glanville had argued openly in 1998 that female football journalists:

"haven't got a ghost of a clue what's going on on the field… One can be a woman in print without noticing- you can't see the lipstick or the perfume. But when it comes to a woman questioning on TV… I would find it difficult to listen to Miss Motson banging on… You'd never trust a woman with something as important as a football result." (The Times, 1998) (Carrington and McDonald 2002)

Thus showing that many male reporters in the UK would openly criticise female journalists directly because of their gender. It could be suggested here that journalists such as Glanville are the old guards of the industry and their thinking is outdated and therefore not applicable to modern football journalism.

This sexist outlook has been challenged by some female football journalists who insist that as long as you prove yourself, you’re in. Ashling O'Connor, a reporter for The Times said that, whilst covering the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the ability to stand your gound was an important part of her acceptance rather than her gender. She said: "all they want to see is that you work hard and mix with the other journalists and you get quotes, then you are accepted. You get respected for that and they see you are not simply writing fluffy pieces." (In an interview with Boyle, 19 August 2005) (Boyle 2006, p151)

Sporting professionals vs journalists:

It is clear that women have different experiences of their time working in print sports journalism in the UK- some suggesting they were directly exposed to sexism, whilst others believe it doesn't exist. But it is important here to consider that the attitudes of professionals in football are just as important as those of the journalists.

Page| 19

For example, in December last year (2013) Paris Saint-Germain coach, Laurent Blanc, was accused of sexism at a press conference after a female reporter questioned the reasoning behind his change in tactical set up. Johanna Franden, who works for Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, had her question dismissed by Blanc:

"Women talking football tactics, it’s so beautiful. I think it’s fantastic. You know what 4-3-3 means, don’t you?"

"I mean, there’s a lot of ways of playing, (laughs) just joking." (Drayton 2013)

In addition, in 2012 Ipswich manager Paul Jewell came under scrutiny after he made sexist comments about assistant referee Amy Fearne. Jewell was furious about a denied penalty decision by Fearne, after his team was defeated by Birmingham City.

Jewell said: “I think everyone, to a man, thought it was a penalty. Unfortunately to every man, but not a woman. Although the referee [Robert Lewis] didn’t have a good view, I thought the lineswoman, or whatever she’s called, had a great view.” (Ogden 2012)

Fearne was also subjected to sexism in 2006 when former Luton manager Mike Newell said:

"She shouldn’t be here. I know that sounds sexist, but I am sexist. This is not park football, so what are women doing here?” (Ogden 2012)

Case studies such as these are important because it shows that we cannot focus research solely on news rooms and reporters, but on football professionals as well. Individuals such as managers and players are the fundamental characters in football and are respected by millions, therefore, until attitudes are changed by them, it is hard to deduce that football will be eradicated of its "men's game" persona.

Football agent and mentor to aspiring young women, Georgina Lillis, told the BBC that managers have told her they are not comfortable talking to women about the sport.

She says: "There have been times when I have spoken to managers and they have said they weren't comfortable talking to a girl about football. I think they just thought I was someone's PA, or there to make cups of tea or coffee. Another man asked me if I wanted him to explain a team-sheet to me at a football game. A scout had to take me away to take a few deep breaths. When I go to games I always get asked 'which one is your boyfriend?' It has been hard to get people to take me seriously." (Smith 2013)

Page| 20

Broadcast Journalism:

Despite a lack of research, there has recently been a lot of discussion in the UK about the validity of female football journalists who work in broadcasting. It has been evident since the introduction of Sky Sports News in the 1990's, that women are being given an increasingly large role in football on television. However, Boyle (2006) suggests that does not mean women are being given more opportunities in reporting on sport.

"For example, 13 television presenters from the 47 used across the Sky Sports network in 2005 were women; however, of the 46 sports news reporters working with Sky Sports News, only one was female." (Boyle 2006, p154)

This brings to our attention the need to be able to decipher the difference between presenting and reporting. Here it could be suggested that the use of females in broadcasting is often directly linked to how telegenic they appear on screen, rather than their journalistic knowledge. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In December 2013, Daily Mail's columnist, Brian Viner, described female sport broadcast reporters as "touchline dollies." In a tribute piece to veteran broadcaster David Coleman, he said:

"It is impossible not to reflect on the jabbering inanities that pass for so much television sports coverage today… Coleman was the absolute antithesis of all the modern-day female sports reporters manifestly chosen for their looks rather than their depth of knowledge… touchline dollies who sometimes graduate to presenting jobs, but might as well be fronting programmes about gardening or property make-overs for all the sporting passion they exude." (Daily Mail, 2013) (Elgot 2013)

Here, Viner is suggesting that the majority of female sports broadcasters are thought of as good-looking, and has directly linked this to the quality of their knowledge. owever, However, Jacqui Oatley can be used as evidence against this generalization because she puts her pen to national newspapers as well as broadcasting and is seen as a very attractive person. Therefore, it seems unreliable to label female broadcast journalists as a whole.

What Viner doesn't comment on here is the nature of the changing audience. For years it was assumed that sports broadcast journalism was predominantly enjoyed by males, but research suggests that it is becoming increasingly balanced. In 1999, BBC's Radio Five Live noted that the male to female ratio of listeners shifted from 75:25 to 60:40. (Chambers, Steiner and Fleming 2004, p114) It has also been suggested that more women are watching Sky Sports News than ever before. Potentially, companies are hiring an increasing amount of female reports in an attempt to engage with their female audience.

However, there is evidence that attempts to explain why a negative generalization about female sports broadcast journalists is made. It is not unheard of for female broadcasters to live up to their glamorous representation by posing for "lad mags".

Page| 21

For example, in 2013, Sky Sports News Reporter Charlie Webster posed almost nude in a photo shoot for FHM, which created an outcry from her fellow female colleagues.

"In an industry where women must battle to be taken seriously for the quality of their work and knowledge of sport, rather than for their looks, there is discontent at Charlie appearing in her underwear." (Winter 2013)

It is interesting to note that in her interview with FHM, she touched on sexism in the industry: "You almost have to work 10 times harder than the bloke has to work. And the bloke can get away with things but you can’t."

Therefore suggesting that before women in the industry are taken as seriously as their male colleagues, they need to work together to ensure they are not hindering each other. By posing for photo-shoots, it could be suggested that they are playing up to the "male-macho" culture and, if anything, taking two steps backwards.

DISCUSSION

After looking at both my own findings, literature and articles, certain trends have emerged more predominantly than others. The first being that females are not represented well enough in UK football journalism. Not only did 59% of my participants agree with this, but a national survey found that women accounted for less than 9% of the sports journalists working in the national UK press. (Boyle 2006, p149)

However, after talking to both my interviewees, it is difficult to put this down to a sexist culture. Both Sue Smith and Janine Self agreed that females are not well represented because there is not enough attempting to break into the industry.

We could suggest that this is because the industry is still giving off a macho-persona that might be putting females off. Whether it is comments by professionals in the industry or from the public, both literature and research seems to depict football as a men's game.

One possible explanation for this could be because the female football teams are not taken as seriously as the men's. Thus, supporters are much more passionate about the male teams and expect a higher level of reporting from journalists, and therefore, are inclined to think less of female reporters because they think less of their sport.

Chambers et al. (2004) said: "men are the consumers of sport news and men are not interested in women sports. Nor are they interested in serious sports news produced by women." (Chambers, Steiner and Fleming 2004, p112)

A second theme that emerged from my findings, and was supported by literature, was the notion that female broadcast journalists are expected to look glamorous and that this was directly affecting their level of credibility. This was pointed out by Brian Viner's article in The Daily Mail which described female sport journalists as "touch-line dollies." (Elgot 2013)

Page| 22

My findings supported the idea that females in journalism are pressured to look a certain way- 68% of participants agreed, with many of them commenting that reporters are usually very "sexy". It was also a running theme that Sky Sports were particularly renowned for this. Boyle (2006) says: "Sky have been guilty from time to time of introducing women sports news reporters whose ability and journalistic knowledge have appeared to be less important than how telegenic they appear on screen." (Boyle 2006, p154)

This seems to mirror behaviour in the American sports media, where females are often glorified for their looks. For example, there are many online countdowns of the USA's hottest female sports reporters. (McD 2013)

However, Sue Smith insisted that, despite being thrown into make-up before broadcasting and agreeing that there is negativity around Sky, less are chosen purely because of how they look.

She said: "some women are pushed into football, and don’t necessarily know the game as well. But I think things are changing, bar the odd one or two... they are trying to get away from it by having athletes in the studio."

Thirdly, it became apparent from my research, that one of the reasons female football journalists may not be as accepted as males, is because they do not play the sport to a high enough level to report on it. This is something many of my participants commented on (see appendix) as well as literature. For example, female football reporter Lynne Truss supported that there was a feeling of: women can't write about football, because they don't play it. (Truss 1999, p128)

A notion that was further supported by Sue Smith, who believes her playing background has worked in her favour as a reporter and gained her more respect. However, Janine Self dismissed this and insisted that many male reporters don't play either, so how can that be true?

It seems that despite thoughts from Self, this has become one of the overwhelming explanations for possible sexism in football journalism and can be further supported by the introduction of many male ex-players as columnists and broadcasters, around the UK.

Another point that stood out when investigating football journalism was the attitudes of professionals in the game. On review, my survey should have further explored this, because it appears that many females have experienced sexism from managers or players, rather than their male colleagues.

Page| 23

This was pointed out in the case study of Paris Saint-Germain coach, Laurent Blanc, and in America with the "locker-room theory" explored by Chambers et al. (2004). Additionally, both interviewees in my research agreed that getting the managers on side could be difficult. Sue Smith noted how she felt intimidated asking them questions in press conferences and Janine Self told of her editor, who was worried she would not be accepted by managers.

Additionally, football agent Georgina Lillis, spoke of how managers told her they were uncomfortable talking to women about football- showing how the macho persona does not just remain inside journalism, but in the sport as a whole. (Smith 2013)

However, there has also been evidence to suggest that for many female football journalists, there has been no concern for sexism. Reporter for The Times, Ashling O'Connor, said that during her time at the FIFA 2002 World Cup, she noted how acceptance was about proving herself, rather than gender, and that if you work hard enough, you’re in. (Boyle 2006, p151)

This notion was supported in my interviews with professionals who agreed that, as long as you get stuck in and take it seriously, you'll get on fine.

However, an interesting point I discovered whilst conducting research, that seems to be overlooked in current literature, is that of women and families. Janine Self admitted in her interview that she could not have done her job if she had had children and that this is connected to the amount of females in the industry.

She said: "If you're a young mother you'll be working evening, weekends, Christmas, Easter. Now I'm not saying that's a conscious reason. But I do think it's relevant. I haven’t got children and I couldn’t possibly have done my job with them."

"You are always being phoned on your day off and you have to work. If you say "I can't get any child care" that would antagonise men a lot. That’s an issue and I don't quite know how you would get round it."

To explore this idea further, there would need to be more research done into the reasons behind the low figures of female football journalists in the UK, but it is a case study that further points to the idea that football is, indeed, still a men's arena.

CONCLUSION:

After studying the topic of female football journalists in the UK, it is clear that there are a lot of contradicting case studies, although many do support the idea that women are still being exposed to sexism. Just last month (March 2014) a survey showed that two-thirds of women working in the industry believed they were exposed to sexism within the work place. (Gibson 2014)

Page| 24

However, it is important to note how far the industry has come. After analysing my own research and those of others, we can see that there has been an increase of female reporters working in sport, including football. This is possibly because of the change in audience, which is becoming more balanced in gender as time goes on.

One thing that I can certainly deduce from this paper is that there needs to be more research done in the area. There is clear statistical evidence that, despite an ongoing change, women are still hugely outnumbered by males in the football journalism industry. My work can only go as far as to expect that this is because of a perceived macho environment, creating less interest by females to work in the industry and the ever prominent notion that women are used merely as "presenters" rather than reporters.

Page| 25

Extended research would be able to explore this further in the UK and discover what other elements are creating a gender imbalance. We cannot conclude anything from data gathered in the United States because, not only is soccer a low profile sport, but there do seem to be culture differences. Especially in print, where women appear to progressing further than in the UK.

However, I would conclude that as time goes on and new generations of journalists confront the world of journalism reporting, an increased equilibrium will occur. This is because the quality of female role-models that are working in the industry currently- such as Janine Self and Alison Kervin- will work as an example that, success can be achieved through hard work, no matter your gender.

In terms of broadcasting, it is clear that the perception of female reporters is still rife with sexualisation, despite strong role models such as Jacqui Oatley and Clare Balding. My survey showed conclusive results that the public expect broadcasters to not only be good looking, but lacking in knowledge because of it. This theory, which is contradictory to case studies from interviews, does not make any head-way in becoming eradicated, by the use of female football broadcasters in "lad mag" culture.

Additionally, there seems to be a direct link between the creditability of female football and female journalists. Despite attempts from the likes of the BBC to increase coverage of the women's game, a lack in interest of the sport means there is a lack in interest of women reporting on male games. Seemingly, after interviewing Sue Smith, this includes professionals.

In addition, there seems to be a big focus on male ex-professionals reporting in the current climate. Because women have not played football up to the same standard as men, they are gaining less credibility, despite many attaining higher qualifications in journalism than ex-players.

However, when concluding my research, it is important to note that an overwhelming 75% of participants said that they have no preference to which gender they receive football news from, as long as it is intelligent and correct. This could therefore be suggesting that there is strong potential for football journalism to become a more equally represented industry. Once more research is done into the reasoning behind the slow advancement of women reporters; we may find that a clear path can be paved for future female football journalists to stride.

Page| 26

BIBLIOGRAPHYALLAN, Stuart (2005). The "gender matters" debate in journalism. In: Journalism: Critical Issues. Open University Press, p.43.BOYLE, Raymond (2006). Gendered Sport? Gendered Sport Journalism? In: Sports Journalism: Context and Issues. Sage .CARRINGTON, Ben and MCDONALD, Ian (2002). 'Race', Sport and British Socity. Routledge. CHAMBERS, Deborah, STEINER, Linda and FLEMING, Carole (2004). Women and Journalism. Routledge. DRAYTON, John (2013). PSG boss Blanc embroiled in sexism row after asking female journalist: 'You know what 4-3-3 means, don't you?'. [online]. at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2525689/PSG-boss-Laurent-Blanc-embroiled-sexism-row-asking-female-journalist-You-know-4-3-3-means-dont-you.htmlELGOT, Jessica (2013). Daily Mail's Incredible David Coleman Tribute Calls Female Sports Presenters 'Blonde Bimbos'. [online]. at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/23/daily-mail-female-sports-_n_4492004.htmlEXPRESS, The Daily and Sunday (2013). Twitter chief issues abuse apology. [online]. at: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/419296/Twitter-chief-issues-abuse-apologyGIBSON, Owen (2014). Survey of women working in football finds sexism is rife in the game. [online]. at: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/07/women-football-survey-karren-bradyMCD, TZ (2013). The 60 Sexiest Female Sports Reporters of 2013. [online]. at: http://sports.gunaxin.com/60-sexiest-female-sports-reporters-2013/165739OGDEN, Mark (2012). Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell on defensive after claims he made sexist remark directed at female official. [online]. at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/ipswich-town/9010100/Ipswich-Town-manager-Paul-Jewell-on-defensive-after-claims-he-made-sexist-remark-directed-at-female-official.htmlSMITH, Ben (2013). Women's football: Etihad Stadium summit examines attitudes. [online]. at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24918594SUMERSON, Joane Broder (2014). Finish your dissertation, don't let it finish you. SWETNAM, Derek (2004). Writing your dissertation: how to plan, prepare and present succesful work. TRUSS, Lynne (1999). On the terraces. In: Secrets of the press: Journalists on Journalism. London, p.128.WALLIMAN, Nicholas (2014). Your Undergrad Dissertation: The Essential Guide for Success. Sage. WINTER, Katy (2013). The ultimate sports strip: Female broadcasters cry foul as Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster poses in skimpy kit for FHM. [online]. at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2295694/Female-broadcasters-foul-Sky-Sports-presenter-Charlie-Webster-poses-lingerie-FHM.htmlWomen, sport and the media: the SJA’s report. (2013). [online]. at: http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/sja-news/women-sport-and-the-media-the-sjas-report/

APPENDIX

1. COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS:

What is your gender?

Which category below includes your age?

Do you use the media to follow football in the UK?

Comments from participants:

· All the time. TV, Internet, newspapers

· Living in Australia we get very limited coverage on UK football

· Online, traditional print and radio/tv

· TV, Radio, Newspapers, Facebook & Twitter

· TV, radio and Sunday Newspaper

· I Pad, Paper media, Satellite TV and Terrestrial plus social media

· Typically major tournaments and FA cup final

· BBC website

· BBC Sport, Sky Sports and Newspapers

· BBC Sport mainly

· Television, Radio, Internet and Newspapers

· I check on my IPhone what the score is before husband gets home to know what mood he will be in

· BBC sport, sky sports app

· Newspapers, TV, online, Twitter, podcasts, apps

Do you think female football journalists are well represented in the UK?

Comments from participants:

· Sadly I can't name one off the top of my head

· In a high profile position on SKY etc, females seem to be fairly well represented, but difficult to say at a grass roots level, although not many national newspapers seem to have female football journalists

· To be honest, when reading print media or internet articles, i never look to see who the journalist is let alone what sex they are

· But seems to be improving

· There aren't very many of them

· Don't know the proportion of female journalists to male journalists against the proportion of female players against male players

· Probably not in the newspaper media becoming more in TV but still low numbers of credible journalists

· Probably still not proportional when compared to % of football fans at matches who are female

· It is improving but not there yet

· You don't naturally think of a female sports journalist when considering the leaders in the field

· I would find it difficult to name one though!

· Over -represented in my opinion on every football program

· There are few female journalists, as they lack the experience due to women's football being a relative unknown apart from the last few years. This I would imagine will change as they are exposed more to the media. The respected male football journalists now have either made an impact on the game or have had longer to integrate in to the system

· First, there aren't many! And second I think for females if there is any connection to TV in their role there's a much higher emphasis on them being attractive (all genres on TV), which will always limit the prospects of those who really know the sport but are more 'normal' looking!

· Only know of one in the national press

· I am quite surprised how many women want to report on football and sport

· Over represented

· However it has improved recently

· I think we could see more on television though

· Very few recognisable names

· The vast majority of female journalists involved in the field of football are used as nothing more than a "presenter" (often chosen largely on their appearance). There are few roles for women which involve any of their own opinion or analysis

Would you agree that female football journalists have become more prominent in the last 20 years?

Comments from other:

· Possibly on TV only

· definitely more prominent in tv and radio journalism

· Yes, I have noticed there are an increasing number of female football/sports journalists in prominent positions on BBC radio and Sky Sports

· Certainly on the radio such as 5 live. Sports in general

· Definitely yes, when I was a teenager there were no female football journalists at all

· Yes, but this is due to how they look rather than their knowledge of football.

· Yes, but mostly only on television

· Most paper head writers I can recall are male and most experts on TV are male

· Yes, in terms of the number of female faces that you may see on a football-related programme. No with regards to the importance attributed to their role or how seriously they are taken

Do you think the UK is accepting of female football journalists?

Comments from other:

· Maybe in some sports more than others, e.g. rugby

· I think it is improving although a lot of men are not accepting of any girl involvement in football. BBC Have Your Say is prime evidence - any article on female football attracts misogynist comments

· I would be surprised if there wasn't a common notion that female journalists commentating on a sport they have never played or have limited experience of (i.e. Male soccer at a professional level) naturally lessens their ability to provide insightful or accurately observations

· the ones i have read in the press do a good job and are no different to male journalists (good and bad)

· There are still a lot of stereotypes about women’s, "lack" of sporting knowledge/ability

· The media bosses and many fans are, but I think large groups of resistance remain

· The more enlightened members of society are, but sadly not everyone

· I think people will accept a small number if they really know what they are talking about , however there is a huge element of PC going on at present particularly at the BBC , and Sky , I think most are picked for their looks than anything else as evidenced by the short skirts & high heels!

· some are, some not

· They will always be a level of acceptance, but perhaps at arm’s length. It has been seen to be man’s game for over 100 years, so could take at least half that again to see any acceptance at the highest level.

· That's a difficult question. I think most people will judge based upon the journalistic quality and insight. But I do suspect there are a minority who see football as a male preserve. So female journalists may in some quarters be critiqued more closely, and may be impacted more if they, for example, make a 'mistake

· Somewhere in between yes and no... I think intelligent people realise that women do the job just as well men, but he sport is so deeply entrenched with tradition and history that I think it will take another generation or so at least before women are taken seriously. Part of the problem is the fact that it is a men only sport and another part is the fact that women's football is not regarded with the same esteem as men's football. As a case in point, I'm a huge cycling fan and in my opinion women cycling journalists are generally taken more seriously - I think this is a lot to do with that fact that the women's cycling scene is better regarded than their football counterparts??

· There is very little commotion made about the journalists more about the faces of football and the lack therein of females within those faces

· I think that the majority of the UK likes to read football articles form previous players and professionals within the game. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with the gender of the journalist. Unfortunately for females, at this moment in time, there aren't many if any ex- professionals around. This will change in the future though as prominent well-known figures such as Hope Powell turn their attentions to punditry etc.

· Certain faces are popular and accepted but as a whole not at all. ( gabby Logan)

Do you think males and females receive equal opportunities in football journalism within the UK?

Comments from other:

· I don't know the statistics on how many attempt to get involved but the overwhelming majority are male so there is bound to be some institutional preconceptions which make it harder for a female journalist to get a start

· I don't think they receive equal opportunities in football journalism within the UK because there are seem to be more males journalists than females which is wrong. It's all about knowing the sport and what you are talking about

· I have noticed that when people talk about female journalist they talk about their appearance a lot more than they would about a males appearance

· Probably more so - but not for the biggest audiences

· As a male dominated sport, probably not, but this should improve as female footballers become more widely known and commentators like Gabby Logan and Jacqui Oatley become more established.

· I’m not in the industry but i imagine not

· Probably not, as it is still predominantly Male ruled, the ladies football teams though some are excellent are still in the background

· Still a man’s sport

· I know little about the inner workings of UK journalism

Do you think there is pressure on female football broadcast journalists in the UK to look a certain way?

Additional comments given:

· They have to look attractive

· Usually very glamorous

· Not sure about pressure but all the high profile TV Journalists are certainly very attractive females

· I don't know if pressure put on them but generally they tend to be "model like" in the main, especially on the likes of Sky - I get the impression that they wouldn't perhaps get the position if they were not perceived to be "good looking". Claire Balding, however, is a great example of a successful female broadcast journalist who does not possess model like looks

· But only on television. No-one really cares what radio, digital or print journalists look like

· They have to look pretty

· Attractive... Thin... "model-like"

· Depends if on TV

· If you take sky sports news as an example all of the female presenters tend to look the same they may get a new person in and you wouldn't know the difference from the last

· Not at the BBC, but I can't comment on other outlets

· The ladies on Sky Sport News are all of a certain ilk, i.e. good looking, usually blonde long hair

· It would seem so, as not many look like Adrian Chiles

· There is pressure on all females in TV to look good

· This is a general malaise throughout the media industry, where age and "looks" seem to count for more than professional credibility

· from some quarters probably yes

· This is the same in any broadcasting (except maybe politics) It sells and it sells to the key demographic of 12-60 year old men

· As for all female broadcasters!!!!!

· As above, unfortunately, physical attractiveness is a big factor, despite being irrelevant. This of course affects every aspect of media and indeed our lives, so the 'solution' needs everyone in every walk of life to rethink how they judge

· Being pretty definitely helps - but this is the same in all forms of broadcast journalism

· Glamorous

· If it's a sexist sport, then I think that questions answers itself!

· Look fit on sky

· I have yet to see a less than attractive female sports news reader

· Expected to be stereotypically 'attractive'

· Must be attractive and almost all are blonde as it is expected that no one will listen to them unless they are attractive

· E.g. Female sky sports presenters are all good looking!

· Because mainly men watch football news shows, any women that appear on them are encouraged to look particularly feminine so that they are attractive to the majority audience

· All the female journalists at the moment tend to look like models

· All sky sports presenters and gabby Logan look very glamorous probably so they appeal to the main audience of men

Do you think the gender of a football journalist affects their level of credibility?

Additional comments given:

· I would imagine that a large proportion of males think that lack of participation in football would make females less credible

· I think many men would not pay as much attention to a female sports journalist unless they have a level of credibility within their sport

· A female journalist has to establish credibility at the outset for most people whereas male journalists (even if they've never played or watched the game) don't have to do that

· Men prefer to hear men talk about football

· It doesn't to me

· Think that a large proportion of men still don't take women’s views seriously concerning football

· It shouldn't, but it will always be a male defence mechanism. The football fan is incredibly fickle and can share a different opinion depending on what the information is, who the player is and who he plays for. If a journalist angles something to which you agree, you would give them more credibility as it falls in line with your own view. Also if you take the Sunday Supplement, credibility can vary depending on what paper thy write for and who they follow. A female presence on a programme like that would allow a football fan to make their own opinion and gauge some credibility

· Knowledge of the topic gives credibility although there may be some sectors of society that would pre-judge

· Yes, but only in small sections of society where football is seen as a 'lads' game. I think everyone else actually just wants good commentary. And I think most football commentary from players & managers is inane and offers no insight, e.g. "we're just glad we got the 3 points tonight" ... really? I never would have realised that. What we need is more intellect and insight; commentary that illuminates areas we didn't know about

· Personally I don't but I believe others don't find females credible

· ...but only because many journalists (I know not all) have a professional football background e.g. player or manager which gives them a weight of authority. This perhaps comes back to my previous comment about women's football being held in low regard

· Knowledge is power and as long as that is shown gender holds no consequence

· I certainly don't agree with it, but I think women are taken much less seriously (by both men and women) whenever they have anything to say about football, despite their actual level of knowledge about the sport

· With the exception of gabby , most football supporters would assume the women knew little about football

Which gender of journalist would you prefer to receive football news from?

Additional comments given:

· As most female presenters appear to have been recruited on looks first rather than knowledge I would rather listen to male presenters. It would be interesting to see as women's football is becoming more successful if any of the players are given the opportunity to comment on games as so many of the male players are

· I don't care - I believe in meritocracy so if an individual has the ability then I respect their right to do a job regardless of race or gender

· Someone who knows what they are talking about and have practical experience

· I do not care about the sex of the presenter, only that they are well informed, educated and capable of adding valuable insight to the sport

· I like to read and hear football media from a journalist knowing what they are taking about whether they are males or females.....

· Provided it is relevant, accurate and insightful, there should be no difference

· No real preference as long as the journalist has a good knowledge of the game

· As long as they are articulate, and know their stuff, then gender is an irrelevance

· The more female football journalists there are, the more they will become accepted as creditable

· As long as you believe they know what they are talking about

· Female: they tend to make it more interesting and easier to understand

· So long as they have a good knowledge of the game I don't mind. However there are times I adore Jeff Stelling but times I would like to see an attractive lady on my telly box

· It really doesn’t matter

· As long as the information and views are credible the gender means naught

· could be a smurf for all I care

2. TRANSCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW WITH JANINE SELF, 12TH MARCH 2014:

What inspired you to get into sports journalism and football in particular?

“It was when I was still at school and the two things I was really good at were sports and English. I guess in my early teens I toyed with being a PE teacher. My father was really sporty so wherever we were we would tune in and listen to the sport. I grew up watching and listening to it all, although to particularly football I have to say! So I was about 16 when I thought about doing sports journalism.”

“Looking back I was amazingly naïve, because looking back I never realised like women just didn’t do that. So I went to a printing college and did a one year pre-entry course. Funnily enough there was another girl there and she was a made Chelsea fan and we would go to Stamford Bridge together. Now you’re talking about the days when there would be 4,000 people there and the BNP would be stood outside. You put your life in your hands if you wore colours- I mean it was a horrible time to watch football. I had a complete naivety about how difficult it would be.

How did you find it then, getting involved with sports journalism back then?

“I got my first job on a weekly paper in Crawley, as a trainee, and there I was having to do all sorts of things! Inquests and burials and all that sort of stuff. But my editor there encouraged me in my spare time to help out with sport. At that time, Crawley was a very good sporting area! I was really enjoying it!

“Again I look back with horror at my naivety, but I just wrote letters to every single big regional daily telling them to employ me. But I did pick places that were football centres. E.g. Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham…

“My interview at the Birmingham Evening Mail was a complete and utter nightmare, because the sports editor virtually said that he wasn’t going to give me the job because I was woman. So I then when for the Sheffield job which was a GREAT story…

“I got a phone call one night whilst in bed asleep and I got woken up by a phone call from Benny Hill, who was the sports editor at the morning telegraph! He was ringing me up because the editor had passed on my letter, who had quite liked the tone of it. But the first thing Benny said to me was; “you don’t want to come do you? There’s no point, I don’t want to employ you. I won’t employ a woman.” But I decided to go and see him anyway. Later on Benny told me that was the moment I sealed my job.

“So I was then at the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, which was a great experience! We did everything, it was just great. I started doing league football, but I was absolutely regarded as a freak. I had to go on Hallam FM to do an interview as the first female to cover football in Yorkshire. I don’t think I actually was, but that’s how it was seen.

How did the negative comments and knockbacks make you feel?

“I was very unexperienced, and because it’s such a competitive industry, I just kind of accepted it. I didn’t particularly think that being a woman should count against me. But it was only as I got out doing football that I realised what a male environment it was. If you can think back to them times, press facilities were none existent. There would be no women, sky didn’t exist. You just didn’t see women, so I stood out like a sore thumb. I went to Bristol Rovers vs Sheffield United and the steward stopped me from going in to the press box and said: “sorry love press only!” I couldn’t possibly be because I’m a woman.

“I had quite a lot of that sort of thing but in a way I didn’t mind. The upside is that as the only women, managers and players recognised you very quickly. So from a practical side, it was quite an advantage being the only woman.”

So you were exposed to a lot of negative comments from people in the industry, but what about the players and managers? How were they?

“I know I raised eyebrows. But I have to say most of the time, the managers and the players were quite polite. They would often swear in front of me and apologise. But I regarded it was a huge victory when they were happy to swear in front of me, because he was treating me like he would the guys.

“After Sheffield I moved across to the Mirror in the Manchester office. The sports editor at the time was a great supporter and really allowed to do a great deal of things. However he say he could never see the Daily Mirror appointing a female football reporter, but thought I could make a career on the production side, e.g. as a sub editor. I was very adamant that that’s what I wanted to do, so I was allowed to do matches on a Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday if they fell on my days off. So I was therefore working on a national paper for the first time.

“Very memorably Joe Royal told me to stick to knitting. I criticised his team, Oldham, came in to the office and he had left a message saying: tell that bloody woman to stick to knitting. Which is quite funny because we are actually now very good friends and I think he regrets saying it.

“But once I was on the mirror things did change slightly because I was at a much higher level, but I wasn’t a reporter. While I was there I did go for a couple of reporting jobs and on each time I was told no because I was a woman.

Are there any times of sexism that particularly stick out in your memory as being the worst?

“In those days it wasn’t illegal to say “we don’t want you because you’re a woman.” My boss at the Mirror did say that I would be able to do a good enough job as a reporter but he was worried that I wouldn’t be accepted by the managers of the day. If you look back at some of the legends, they are very old school. The managers these days are much younger and more educated.

“The men in the press box were very cliquey. I was worried I would get shut out of things. I was asked in an interview once if I would be prepared to go night clubbing with Manchester United players, because that was part of the job. Again this shows you how much the game has changed- you couldn’t possibly imagine it now.

“There were men in Sheffield who were no better at reporting than me and got reporting jobs on the nationals.

What do you think are the main things that have changed over the last twenty years then?

“Of course it has improved. For a start it’s illegal not to appoint someone for their sex, although I’m sure it still goes on. Football is a much nicer sport than it used to be. In the aftermath of for example, Hillsborough, football was almost reinvented. You would never see woman or children in the stands, but as the clubs started to embrace them you saw more women chief executives etc. And then the introduction of sky and suddenly you had very good woman presenters presenting. You would also see women in press offices, although I do think the industry is about 75% male. But it used to be 99%.

“I think it’s also about the next generation of men coming through. I get a lot of letters from young men and I’m pretty sure they don’t even think about the fact that I’m a woman. There’s been a sea change, but there is still a long way to go and it’s very difficult to women. But I don’t think there is any longer an innate desire not to have a woman.

Being in such a high position at the SJA, and with it having such a low percentage of women, do you feel responsible to encourage females to get involved?

"I definitely want to encourage women. I'm firmly of the belief that everybody should just be judged on their ability, where ever they come from. What I wouldn't want to see is quotas for women; journalism is an incredible competitive industry but when I look around the sports desk at the mail, it's all men- apart from one or two.

"Now we can always ask: why is that? But actually, they have probably had 1000 applicants and out of them, probably 950 of them have been men. So therefore, the ratio is right. If they were to ensure they had 10 women, it would be a false ratio. You would actually be then discriminating against men- which isn't the point.

"I joined the football writers association when I was in Sheffield, and when I went to my very first dinner, they had to actually check the rules to find out whether I was allowed to go, or whether it was a stag doo!

"I was allowed. But I remember going to the footballer of the year awards down in London. And out of 600-700 people that go, I think there were me and one other woman in the whole room.

Was that quite intimidating for you?

"Well it was, but after a while I stopped noticing. Other people noticed but I stopped. I think if you were to go to that dinner now, it would probably be 20% female. So it's still a minority, but we are on the up.

"There are many really good women sports journalists and that's in paper, on broadcast, they are really very good. They will fly the flag and hopefully they will be in the inspiration.

I've done a lot of research myself to find out what the public's view on it is, and I've pulled out a few things I would like to talk to you about. The first is the notion that female journalists have to be outstandingly great to do well in sport, whereas the men can get away with being just good. Do you think that's true?

"Yes. Anyone can make a mistake, you can sit there on a night match, see the ball in the net, you're not sure who scored and you get it wrong. If it's a man he's made a mistake. If it's a woman- you shouldn’t have let her do the football.

"I'm on Twitter, and every so often I do get a tweet saying "go make the tea love" and that kind of thing. And I am sure that will carry on, the abuse that some women get! Even if they haven't been very good, it's not always because they don't know what they are doing. It may be that they just aren't very good on TV! But the abuse can be terrible.

"I think that there is still a perception that women can't possibly know about football, which is stupid. Back in my day women couldn't even play, but that's changed!

I found in my research that the majority believe gender effects credibility. And one reason for this was because females aren't playing the sport to a "high enough standard" to be able to report on it. What do you think about that?

"I can point to an awful lot of very fat, nonathletic men in the press box who have never played it. Their only exercise is raising a pint glass to their lips. So I think that is completely wrong.

"I would say that if you have been brought up liking sport, then you have an innate appreciation for all other sports. I just went to the Winter Olympics and it was the first time I had ever seen Ice Hockey, but by the end of it I