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On Boxing Day 1920, a of 53,000 watched a women鈥檚 football match at Liverpool鈥檚 Goodison Park, with others waiting outside. With more than 900,000 women working in during the first world war, many factories set up women鈥檚 football teams to keep the new female workers healthy and . At the time, women seemed to be in .

But it would be almost 100 years before similar numbers of spectators were seen again at women鈥檚 sports matches, and in 2022 crowds are now breaking world records. In March, for example, 91,553 people watched Barcelona play Real Madrid in the UEFA Women鈥檚 Champions League 鈥� the women鈥檚 football match of all time.

The reason why it took so long to get here is that after the first world war , and even went backwards. By 1921 there were 150 women鈥檚 football teams, often playing to large crowds. But on 5 December 1921, the English Football Association鈥檚 consultative committee effectively banned citing a threat to as medical experts claimed football could damage women鈥檚 ability to have children. This decision had worldwide implications and was typical of for many decades.

Women鈥檚 professional sport is now seeing dramatic changes. England will host the 2022 Women鈥檚 Euros later this year, and tickets for the final sold out in less than an hour. There is clear demand from fans and not just for women鈥檚 football, but other professional women鈥檚 sports.

In 2021, 267,000 people attended the women鈥檚 matches in English cricket鈥檚 new domestic competition, The Hundred, making it the best attended women鈥檚 cricket event ever. A year before, another cricketing record was set with 86,174 spectators at the Women鈥檚 between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Record crowds for professional women鈥檚 matches have also been seen recently in .

There is in women鈥檚 sport and a rising number of for women. Clubs and organisations are finding that if people know about women鈥檚 sport they will and watch it on television.

TV coverage is vital

In a sign that the times really may be changing, the current minister for sport, Nigel Huddleston, and the home secretary, Priti Patel, they are minded to add the (FIFA) Women鈥檚 World Cup and the Women鈥檚 Euros (UEFA European Women鈥檚 Football Championship) to the list of protected sports events. Set out in the 1990s, these are the 鈥渃rown jewels鈥� of English sport, deemed to be of national importance when it comes to television coverage. The list has not included any women鈥檚 events until now, and the proposed change is crucial to keep women鈥檚 sport visible for as large an audience as possible.

Football has also seen considerable growth in participation. In 2020, played football in England and the world governing body FIFA aims to have playing by 2026.

The wider picture is perhaps less rosy. more inactive women than men in England. less active than boys, even though their activity levels increased comparatively during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, this pandemic-related increase also points to positive changes. During the lockdowns, there was a shift away from traditional team sports to fitness classes and walking, which have traditionally appealed more to women and girls. In a similar way Sport England鈥檚 campaign, which was relaunched in , aimed to break conventional ideas that physical activity and sport are unsuitable for women. Sport England鈥檚 evaluation states that 2.8 million women were due to the overall campaign.

With traditional masculine ideals slowly being replaced across society, these changes can also be seen in sport. Sport is also becoming more inclusive .

And, as happened around 100 years ago, women鈥檚 rights and equality in society and workplaces are improving. The #MeToo movement has brought sexual harassment to the forefront of and is gradually shifting workplace culture.

Threats ahead

However, this is not time for complacency. The pandemic has affected women more than men and in different ways, . Greater domestic responsibilities impacted on more than men, reducing time for physical activity. Similarly, funding cuts in sport may threaten the gains that have been made in . And many males continue to hold unfounded, stereotypical views such as being more emotional than men.

Recently, my colleagues and I mapped out five actions needed to make sure that recent gains for women鈥檚 sport are not lost, see below. With , widespread support for , and the current popularity of women鈥檚 sport, now is the time to act on these changes to ensure that it is not another 100 years before we see the recent attendance records broken. Gender equality is and it should be in sport too.

Roadmap for the success of women鈥檚 sport

, Deputy Head Of Department in Department of Sport & Event Management,

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