More than half of female and non-binary football fans questioned for a survey by anti-discrimination charity Kick it Out said they had experienced sexist behaviour or language at matches.
Of the 1,502 fans asked, 23% said they felt unsafe at games.
From those who had experienced sexist or misogynistic abuse, 85% said they had not reported it, with 46% of those saying it was because they believed it would not make a difference and 43% saying they felt it would not be taken seriously.
Experiences of sexist behaviour included being questioned on their knowledge of the rules, wolf-whistling, and constant badgering or harassment.
Some fans surveyed also reported experiencing inappropriate touching, physical violence and sexual assault on a matchday.
The survey also found:
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61% of fans had heard sexist behaviour dismissed as banter.
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Of the 727 fans who said they had experienced sexist language, 53% said they had been told they should be elsewhere (examples included fans being told to “get back in the kitchen”)
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46% had been subjected to lewd requests
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27% had heard sexually aggressive language.
Bethany Patrick – a lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan – has been on the receiving end of sexist chanting and abuse, with her worst experience coming after a game to mark International Women’s Day in March 2023.
“It was a Friday night game. I went with my boyfriend, it was quite rowdy and we were walking back from Hillsborough. I was getting sexist abuse from people on the tram going past, and I got spat at,” the 25-year-old said.
“It shook me. I thought, ‘This is my routine I should be comfortable here.’ It was jarring.”
After learning through social media that other fans had suffered the same experience, she set up the Sheffield Wednesday Women’s Supporters’ Group, which has more than 400 members.
The group provides practical and emotional support as well as advice on how to report sexist abuse.
It is an issue, Patrick says, that is particularly acute online.
“There’s been times when we’ve had really bad abuse, even death threats. It’s made me anxious about going to games,” she told BBC Sport.
In response to concerns faced by fans, Kick it Out has launched a campaign to encourage more people to report sexism and call it out.
‘I’ve started to challenge my mates’
Female officials are also a target of abuse.
In November 2023, two fans were arrested for directing misogynistic abuse at referee Rebecca Welch during Birmingham City’s Championship match against Sheffield Wednesday at St Andrew’s.
The two teenagers were eventually referred to Kick it Out’s fan education and engagement manager Alan Bush.
“I’m looking to change their behaviour and change their attitude,” Bush said.
“I use a lot of reflective questions, for example: ‘If that was your sister or your grandmother and they were on the end of that sort of abuse how would you feel?’
“I get them to a point where I start dismantling their attitudes and their views.”
Bush travels the country working with football fans who have been referred to him by either a club or the police after having been involved in an incident of discrimination.
“The feedback I get from football fans who have been though the programme is often quite stunning. They say things like: ‘You have changed my life… I’ve started to challenge my mates.’ That’s the rewarding part – changing attitudes, changing behaviours.”
Patrick is supportive of restorative justice for offenders but wants the wider football community to do more to tackle sexism.
“I think it’s really important for everyone to pull together. We’ve all got this problem. There’s no point in making Hillsborough a utopia for women if the grounds round the corner are hell. We want to see concrete commitments from clubs about what they’re doing.”
“Football needs to step up to ensure sexism is taken seriously and that women feel safe and confident to report discrimination,” KIO COO Hollie Varney added.
“We’ve seen reports of sexism to Kick It Out increase significantly in recent seasons.
“As part of this campaign, we want to show male fans how they can challenge sexist behaviour when they see it and ensure women fans know that sexist and misogynistic behaviour is discrimination and can be reported.
“There have been encouraging examples over the past couple of seasons where clubs have taken positive and decisive action to deal with sexist behaviour, such as bans, arrests, and referrals to Kick It Out’s fan education team.
“But it’s clear from the research that clubs and governing bodies need to do more to build trust with women supporters.”