The FA women's super league

306 Pages·2017·17.47 MB·English

by  Caroline Fixter

The FA women's super league : framing developments in elite women's football
SEQUERRA, Ruth
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Sheffield Hallam University
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The FA Women's Super League - Framing
developments in elite women's football
Ruth Sequerra
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of
Sheffield Hallam University
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
October 2014
ABSTRACT
In 2009, the Football Association (FA), the national governing body of football in
England, announced its plan to introduce the country's first semi-professional
women's elite league. Launched in 2010 as the FA Women's Super League (FA
WSL), its introduction provided both an opportunity to research whether this
evidenced a change of position for the women's elite game within footballing
narratives and also to examine the place of the FA within these. This study
adopted a critical sociological feminist approach to deconstruct the assumptions,
values and practices that frame the female game and the introduction of the FA
WSL, while providing new insights into the role of the sport's governing
organisation in defining elite women's football. Through observations at
matches and interviews with people working within the women's game, an
examination of the development and introduction of the FA WSL was
undertaken, with valuable early insights provided into the first three years of the
new League.
The study identified that the introduction of the FA WSL was impacted upon by
the complex, closed and gendered nature of the FA's organisational structure.
The new League adhered to traditional societal concepts of hegemonic
masculinity, heteronormativity and liberal approaches to gender equality. The
study also found that the new elite women's structures required the clubs who
gained entry into the FA WSL to adhere to commercialised, spectacularised and
commodified values which dominate the men's game and neo liberal societal
narratives. The increased inclusion of females into elite football structures did
not profoundly disrupt traditional discourses or provide evidence of a
fundamental challenge to gender inequality in the game.
Acknowledgements
Firstly, I would like to thank all those people who gave their time to talk to me as
part of this study. Their enthusiasm for and dedication to the women's game
was obvious throughout the interviews. The games ability to survive in the face
of numerous obstacles is testament to the commitment of them and others like
them within the game.
Also, my thanks go to Dr Donna Woodhouse and Dr Beth Fielding Lloyd at
Sheffield Hallam University who have expertly guided me through the process,
providing constant support, advice and suggestions. They, along with the others
within the Sport Studies department have helped me to develop my ability to
question things that are taken for granted.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents i
List of Tables iii
List of Figures iv
List of Appendices v
Chapter One: Introduction 1
1.1 Elite women's football in England 1
1.2 Context and Aim of the Thesis 2
1.3 Structure of the thesis 5
Chapter Two: A brief history of women's football in England 10
2.1 Introduction 10
2.2 The 1800s 11
2.3 Commercialism 13
2.4 World War One 14
2.5 The 1921 Ban 15
2.6 The Women's Football Association 17
2.7 Women's football administered by The FA 19
2.8 Pressure for reform 20
Chapter Three: Review of literature relating to football governance in 23
England
3.1 The FA and elite football 23
3.2 Approaches to addressing gender inequalities 29
Chapter Four: Review of literature relating to gendered discourses in 34
sport
4.1 Sport and gender 34
4.2 Research into women's football 39
4.3 Gender in sport organisations 44
Chapter Five: Methodology 50
5.1 Ontology and epistemology 50
5.2 Theoretical underpinnings 54
5.3 Locating myself within the research 60
i
5.4 Methods 65
5.4.1 Observations 65
5.4.2 Interviews 68
5.4.3 Participants 71
5.4.4 Analysis 74
5.5 Ethics 76
Chapter Six: Analysis - The FA structures and elite women's football 81
in England
6.1 The existing FA elite league structure 81
6.2 The FA as an organisation 86
6.3 The FA and gender 101
Chapter Seven: Analysis - The FA WSL - A new way forward for elite 111
women's football
7.1 Framing changes to the women's elite game 111
7.2 Reasons for change in the elite league structure 116
7.3 The chosen model 122
7.4 Taking responsibility 129
Chapter Eight: Analysis - The FA WSL - Developing a new identity for 137
elite women's football
8.1 The FA's vision for the FA WSL 137
8.2 Envisioning the target market 143
8.3 The FA WSL as spectacle 150
8.4 The FA WSL as carnival 153
8.5 Evaluating the vision 163
Chapter Nine: Analysis - The FA WSL - Meeting the FA's aims 167
9.1 The impact on players 167
9.2 The impact on clubs and facilities 175
9.3 The Impact on media coverage 183
9.4 The impact on the women’s football pyramid 193
Chapter Ten: Conclusion 198
References 204
Appendices 267
ii
LIST OF TABLES
Chapter Five
Table 1 Matches Attended 66
Table 2 Research Participants 73
LIST OF FIGURES
Chapter Six
Figure 1 The FA Council Members 2012 -2013 90
Figure 2 The FA Council Committees 91
Figure 3 The FA Board Committee's 93
Figure 4 The FA Board Members 95
Figure 5 The FA Group Management Board 96
iv
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A Interview guide 267
Appendix B Successful ethics application 268
Appendix C Participant information sheet 284
Appendix D Informed consent form 286
Appendix E Club Development Plan Checklist 287
V