Motion to tackle inequalities in women’s football in Derbyshire defeated, as council leadership brands it ‘too specific’

Following the Lionesses’ heroic win over the summer, the country has seen a large influx of girls wanting to take up football, however there are still barriers hindering their progress.

In a meeting of North East Derbyshire District Council, Councillor Ross Shipman addressed these inequalities and called upon his fellow members to support a motion pledging to do more as an authority to encourage girls’ and women’s football.

Commenting upon one football club, he said: “The disparity in what they have to pay is massive – for example boys who go there don’t have to pay anything for kit, girls who are sent there have to pay £250 a year for their kits.”

He continued: “Girls are offered contracts at the age of nine and boys are offered contracts at the age of seven.”

The Lib Dem leader pointed out another issue faced by clubs was the need for separate changing rooms and suggested the authority ‘make use of the planning process and make it easier to get those sort of facilities built so girls have somewhere to change’.

Deputy leader Councillor Charlotte Cupit commented that she was a football fan and understood the challenges that the sport faced, adding that there were various forms of grants across the county, from organisations such as the Football Association, local football clubs and councils to help with facilities, kits and matches, and said the authority was involved in ‘signposting’ these opportunities.

“I think this council is doing a lot to support women’s football already, so I just wanted to raise awareness of that, but also, all football and sports awareness,” she continued.

The Conservative councillor commented that the new Sharley Park Leisure Centre would had a new 3G football pitch, as well as changing rooms providing better access.

She concluded that while she supported growth in women’s football, she could not support the motion, stating: “We need to be encouraging access to all sports, not just football, to all genders, abilities, but also disabilities as well.”

However Labour’s Councillor Nigel Barker gave his full support to the motion, commenting that it was something he felt ‘passionate’ about.

He said: “North Wingfield Parish Council has been working for the past two years with the Derbyshire Ladies and Girls League to establish something in North Wingfield.

“We are quite a way down this route and we do need the support of the district council for procurement and all that.”

Lib Dem Councillor David Hancock expressed surprise at the Tory response, stating: “It would be nice if the Conservative group would join ourselves and Labour in supporting this motion.”

Councillor Jeremy Kenyon defended the Conservative group’s position however, commenting that the motion was just ‘too specific’.

But Coun Shipman pointed out that supporting all sports for all genders and abilities presented the council was a very ‘broad criteria’, adding: “You’re going to have to support loads of resources to try and achieve the aims.”

He commented that he thought they group was not supporting the motion for reasons that were ‘made-up’.

“I’d like to have seen some positive responses to the motion that could have actually pushed us forward, and instead we’ve just had a flat ‘no’ and I think that that’s quite bad really from the Conservative group to say ‘no’ rather than suggest any amendment, which would have pushed women’s sports across the board forward,” he said.

The motion was defeated at the vote.