'Should female footballers be paid at all?': FA Wales and Welsh Government to tackle online misogyny

The Football Association of Wales and the Welsh Government are working together to tackle online misogyny in the sport.

Unique educational programmes will be introduced with the aim of combating online hate towards girls and women in football.

As part of the campaign, several Cymru international players have featured in a video highlighting and reacting to real life examples of misogyny and hate speech.

One tweet read, "Get back to the kitchen" with another posting "Should female footballers even be paid at all?".

Another said, "Women shouldn't be allowed to play sports or vote, it's far too dangerous to leave in their hands".

Wales player Natasha Harding responded with, "Oooo this one's from the Dark Ages".

Both the FAW and Welsh Government have acknowledged that education is the key to stopping this type of behaviour, which was widespread across social media throughout the 20/21 football season.

Female Cardiff City FC players were targeted with misogynistic abuse following the first live televised game at the top division in Wales.

Cymru’s most capped player Jess Fishlock, who features in the campaign video, said, "It was heart-breaking last year seeing the misogynistic abuse aimed at footballers from the league who were playing purely for their love of the game.

"Trying to put someone down because of something they love, is not big, smart or funny.

"I always say that people should think about how the person receiving the abuse could be affected before sharing and I’m glad to have worked with my Cymru teammates and the FAW to further educate others on what is and isn’t acceptable online."

Wales top goal scorer Helen Ward has called on people to think about what they are typing before they post online.

She said: "It's not okay to be that person who sits behind a screen and thinks the words they type out don't matter or don't have an impact on people."

"If you're receiving those messages you should know it's not okay and you should be able to talk to someone and report it."

The primary and secondary educational programmes developed by online safety experts will offer support to deliver lessons on the issues and help people understand the importance of mutual respect.

It's hoped this thinking will be transferred beyond football, into the wider society.

The resources will help identify 'toxic masculinity', what online hate speech looks like and the role it plays in driving online misogyny.

FA Wales Safeguarding and Player Welfare Manager, Sian Jones said, "We want people to have an enjoyable and positive experience of football, both offline and online".

"Football can be such a powerful tool for good and we are grateful to use the FAW’s platform to work with partners across Wales to continue to make a stand against online hate.

Minister for Education Jeremy Miles explained the government will do "everything they can" to tackle "abuse, hate and harassment of women, both online and offline".

He added, "A key part of dealing with online misogyny is to make sure that there are resources to support these important conversations to take place".

"It is vital to provide learners with opportunities to learn about their rights and the rights of others, as well as the impact of such abuse and the harm it causes.

"Importantly, the resources raise awareness of how to safely challenge online abuse, so that we can all play a part in making the internet a safer place."