Women's lower league football still not equal to men's despite new sponsorship deal, says Stourbridge FC

We've been told new funding for women's football is welcome but for lower leagues - there's a lack of funding that holds the game back.

A £45m sponsorship deal for elite women’s football in the UK has been announced this week.

New research shows that 78% of female footballers agree that opportunities for women in their local football league are still far behind those available for men.

Stourbridge FC women's coach Jodie Perkins says this causes problems with things such as equipment.

"If you look at where the top tiers of the women's pyramid are now, the equality is developing evidently. There just needs to be more consistency for the teams in the middle and lower end of the women's pyramid.

"The funding and support needs to be driven all the way through, not just for the tiers at the top.

"Women's football has come away, especially in recent years. Everyone wants to drive for equality but we need to focus on the positive changes that have already happened to try and bridge the gap. It's not something that's going to happen overnight."

After the Lionesses’ phenomenal success in bringing women’s and girls' football into the spotlight, an impressive 4.4 million women and girls are now regularly playing football across the UK.

This surge in participation has fuelled the rapid growth of the women’s game, with The Football Association (The FA) projecting that one in five teams will be female by 2030. Additionally, 41% of women’s football clubs in the UK were only created in the last four years —a significant leap towards greater access for more women.

However, new research from Sure has found that in many areas, gender equality in football is still far from being reached.

In fact, the research found that 78% of female footballers agree that opportunities for women in their local football league are still far behind those available for men. A lack of funding (41%), sponsors (37%) and equipment (35%) are holding women’s football back, according to the research.

Having space to play is also an issue, with 40% saying they do not have access to their own pitch, one in four (25%) not having changing rooms and one in five (21%) not having appropriate facilities when they are on their period.

Many things that might not be an issue for men’s football are still getting in the way for women. This includes a lack of coaches, referees and trainers, with 43% of female footballers struggling to get a referee for matches, only 29% having access to a football manager and a huge 64% not able to have a trainer for their team.

Female footballers also have to fork out more money, with the average woman who wants to participate in their local football club paying £124.98. Additionally, over half (61%) pay for their own kit for football games, with 1 in 10 (11%) even having to go without a kit for matches.

Sadly, despite the whole country being behind the Lionesses during the World Cup, 1 in 5 (22%) of female footballers who play for local leagues don’t feel that their community supports them.

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