FOOTBALL COVERAGE HAS come a long way in a relatively short space of time in relation to its attitude to women.
Not so long ago, on the rare occasions when women’s football was shown on Sky, you had Andy Gray laughing over highlights of the FA Cup.
While that incident seemingly went unpunished, the former Sky pundit and presenter Richard Keys were subsequently rightly sacked for uttering disgraceful, sexist remarks in January 2011.
Since then, Sky and football coverage in general has gradually adopted a more modern outlook.
For years, the idea of a female football pundit would have seemed inconceivable. But slowly, this concept is being embraced.
During the 2018 World Cup Eni Aluko was among the standout analysts on ITV, while BBC commentator Vicki Sparks became the first woman to commentate on a World Cup game on British TV.
Irish TV coverage has also been making similar changes — pundits/Irish internationals Stephanie Roche and Louise Quinn, not to mention USA legend Hope Solo, were part of RTÉ’s recent World Cup coverage, while Jacqui Hurley featured in the presenting chair.
As Quinn told The42 in a lengthy interview on the subject last July: “If they’ve knowledge of the game, why does it matter who is talking about this sport?”
Moreover, outside of soccer, boundaries have also been broken — Fiona Steed was among the contributors to TV3′s 2015 Rugby World Cup coverage.
For less high-profile programmes, RTÉ have been making changes too, with ex-Wexford Youths player Ruth Fahy always a welcome presence owing to her insightful contributions on Soccer Republic.
And perhaps taking its cue from the English national broadcasters’ approach over the summer, Sky Sports have started to integrate ex-Arsenal player and England international Alex Scott into their Premier League and international football coverage.
You don’t necessarily have to have played the game at the highest level — in either the men or women’s sphere — to be a good pundit. Richie Sadlier and Eamon Dunphy have both enjoyed successful stints in front of the cameras despite unspectacular careers in the game.
Yet it certainly helps that Scott has enjoyed a decorated time in football, winning the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup among countless other honours.
Similarly, just because she was a top footballer does not give Scott a divine right to be a good pundit, but she was assured today as part of Sky’s Premier League coverage.
While many ex-pros seem content to revert to lazy clichés and get by on their name alone, nobody could justifiably level this accusation at Scott.
You get the sense the former right-back has done her research and offers genuine tactical insight rather than tiresomely fixating on a team’s “character” et cetera in the manner some male experts seem obsessed with doing.
During today’s Everton-West Ham game, Scott perceptively pointed out the needlessly big gap between Toffees defenders Kurt Zouma and Mason Holgate for the Hammers’ first goal and highlighted Marko Arnautović ability to consistently exploit this problem area. She also identified how Everton were getting most of their joy down the right-hand side with the central areas invariably overcrowded, yet failed to really capitalise on this plus point as the game developed.
Not only is the introduction of Scott a progressive move on Sky’s part, most importantly she adds to the coverage by making intelligent contributions.
And while these developments are all very encouraging, it of course does not mean football has suddenly become immune from holding sexist attitudes or has refrained from being a ‘boys’ club’ in some respects.
At this point, the idea of a female pundit analysing a high-profile men’s match still feels somewhat novel. Until that issue is no longer apparent, certain old-fashioned attitudes will continue to prevail.
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