Top Takeaways from “How level is the playing field?”

Women’s sport is finally getting the spotlight it deserves—bigger crowds, more funding, and growing visibility on screens and in stadiums. But beneath the progress lies a harsh reality. Gender pay gaps, poor TV scheduling, sexist commentary, homophobia, trans exclusion, racial underrepresentation, and body shaming are still an everyday occurrence.

Top Takeaways

The panel discussion “How Level Is the Playing Field?” brought together Olympian Emily Campbell, Professor Leanne Norman, inclusion advocate Verity Smith, and football legend Fara Williams MBE to explore equality in sport.

Hosted by broadcaster Shebahn Aherne, the conversation highlighted both progress, such as increased visibility for women’s sport, and ongoing challenges like pay gaps, limited access and discrimination.

Through personal stories, the speakers revealed how far sport has come and how far it still has to go.

“It should be everyone supporting everyone for sport, regardless of gender”

“It’s not just about equality in sport, it’s about equity.”

“We find that there aren’t spaces to have these difficult conversations”

“It starts with the people at the top, telling the stories and writing the news to start making changes.”

“There is sadly still a long way to go with the media – The media gets visibility which hasn’t been there before, women’s sport has become more relevant. But visibility does not equal equity. News titles just love clickbait.”

“We need to look at TV scheduling – it speaks about who is valued more.”

“There is no wonder people don’t engage with the product when women’s sport doesn’t get even a cut of the financial backing that men’s sport get.”

“The smallest, simplest changes like women’s gym clothing sizes, can make the biggest impacts and give girls confidence in taking first steps towards their sporting journey. We need girls to be unapologetically themselves.”

“It’s important we educate people from a young age, both male and female, about food as fuel, menstrual cycles, women’s bodies. Role models and environments that people are going into are key. There are dangers to having too many male coaches.”

“Trans people can play grassroots level, but when they get to a level that is professional, you get told you can’t play.”

Further Reading 

• Playing It Our Way: My Autobiography by Rachael Heyhoe Flint & Roger Barnes
  A pioneer in women’s cricket in England. Her experiences reflect early struggles and transitions in women’s sport in the UK.
• Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
  This examines how lack of sex-disaggregated data obscures inequalities — highly relevant to measuring disparities in sport.

Related UK Podcasts / Episodes & Media

• The Past and Future of Gender in Sport 
• The High Performance Podcast — Gender Equity in Sport
  Episodes that examine barriers, funding, and strategies in UK and global sport settings.