Will Women's Football Remain Inferior? Part 1: My Story.

For far too long now, the subject of women's football is not one that is frequently taken seriously amongst the sportspeople of today. I, for one, am no longer going to stay quiet about the topic.

Let me tell you my story first...

I am an avid football player, where I started to play at the age of 8 with the boys' team at my Prep school in South Africa. Obviously, a girls' team did not exist, and I was welcomed to the first practice by muffled sniggers and whispering by cocky 8-year-old boys. I will admit that being the only girl brave enough to try out for football with the boys at my school, the majority of whom were my good friends, was slightly overwhelming and I had to have a little cry. I overcame this so quickly, though, as my connection with the beautiful sport rapidly developed. I made it onto the B team (...there were only an A and B team) but I was hardly ever on the bench and, as I started to settle and find my feet on the pitch, I started turning heads. By the time I was 11/12, two more girls had joined the boys' team with me, and I was being put on trials for the A team. Unfortunately, I didn't make it due to a really inconvenient ankle injury.


By this time, my dad had accepted a job offer in Saudi Arabia, where we moved when I was 12. I continued to play football there, mainly on basketball courts or astroturfs. Because of the unbearably hot weather, football was on as a school sport for a limited 6 weeks a year. After being at the school I was at for just over a year, I was captaining the Middle School girls team, where we came second in an inter-schools tournament. The year after, I was made captain of the Junior Varsity girls team, where we came second in a regional tournament in Bahrain, along with many other matches in between. My family and I then moved back to South Africa in December 2010, where I refused not to play my beloved sport, and so joined a local club called Crusaders FC. Some of my best moments as a player were played with this club, and I was awarded the Most Valuable Player of 2011/2012: a truly honourable label. We were considered a 'Ladies' team, but some of our best players were as young as 14, and we competed in well-recognised leagues amongst other university and local clubs. I was the striker for Crusaders, and given the nickname of "Spongebob" for, initially, tackling like a sponge, and my experience with them truly boosted my entire footballing career. Unfortunately, my time at Crusaders was limited as I was set to go to boarding school in the UK in September 2011. However, this was not the end of my time as a footballer, and I only went upwards from there. I went to a school called Malvern College, in the county of Worcestershire, where I very quickly joined the girls' football team after my arrival there. The girls' football team was relatively new there, but I wanted to be a part of it nonetheless. After joining, I immediately made my place in the team as the new striker. The first year was amazing, despite playing in some of the most horrendous weather conditions imaginable. The second tournament we went on, a 7-a-side tournament at King's Taunton, saw us winning the plate competition (basically, we came fourth) out of approximately 20 other teams. It was at this same tournament where I was scouted by the Independent Schools Football Association manager to attend trials to represent the U18 South-West Regional side. Knowing that opportunities such as this would never be presented to me back home in South Africa, I was well and truly overwhelmed and so honoured to have been recognised for my apparent talent. I went to the trials for this regional squad, and made it. Following this was a regional tournament with my "new" team, including 2 other girls from Malvern that were selected, where we played at Marlborough College against the other regions: Midlands, South-East, and Scotland U18 representative sides. This was possibly the toughest tournament I had ever been a part of, where girls were showing skill that I had never seen before. It was a bit of a slap in the face to me as I was so used to being one of the best players in any team I was in, but this time each girl was incredible talented, and evidently so devoted to football. On the other hand, it was incredibly reassuring that I was not the only girl who played with such fervour and passion, and had an undying love for the game. My next year at Malvern saw my appointment as the U18 Girls' Football Captain: a truly humbling position to be given. I developed bonds with the girls in the squad that I hadn't had before, and received a new level of respect from them as their new captain. The season of 2012/2013 saw many successes from us, as well as myself, along with 4 other girls, being selected for the South-West regional squad. I also received full sporting colours for football, which is something I couldn't be more proud of. 

I was given an opportunity to take my football to another level when I was given an offer by Loughborough University, which has the best female university football team in the whole of England, but I turned it down. Unfortunately, my time in England was soured by

numerous elements, and the thought of returning home to South Africa became progressively more appealing. I was unsure about whether I could deal with the miserable weather and other things that got on my nerves for an additional 3-4 years, and so I turned down the offer and instead applied to Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, to study a Bachelor of Journalism. This was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, as coming home would mean sacrificing a whole spectrum of opportunities in terms of my football as well as my future career. However, the thought of being back in my Motherland with people who I had more common ground with seemed to outdo staying in the UK. I have come to terms with the fact that I will not be playing football at the same level as I had been or would be playing at in the UK, but as long as I am still playing, whether it be with the university team or a local side, I will be happy. For as long as I am able, I will never surrender my adoration for this sport. 

Now that that is out of the way, my next few blogs will focus on my views on women's football worldwide, and why I think it should be empowered. 

All for now,
Gabi. 
Twitter: @Gabiblombard