‘Bend It Like Patel’

Abstract

This article focuses on the experiences of Black women and one Indian Hindu woman in football in England. The discussions draw on survey and interview research to theorize gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity. The research represents a questionnaire survey of women’s teams and 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews; seven with players and seven with ‘officials’. The survey provides data on players, coaches and managers at women’s football clubs registered with the Football Association (FA) in the North of England. The questionnaire data on ‘race’, ethnicity and gender demonstrate that football’s organizational structures in the region are White and gendered. The interview data highlights the gendered and racialized experiences of women as they begin to play and continue to play football at the club level. What emerges from the interviews is how ‘racial’ difference is constituted for some women footballers. The article analyses the processes that construct gender and ‘race’ as interlocking systems of relationships by using Glenn’s (1999) theoretical framework identifying three processes through which ‘race’ and gender are mutually constituted: representation, micro-interaction and social structure. We raise both theoretical and methodological issues that indicate the need for further rigorous theorizing in the sociology of sport of women’s interwoven experiences of gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity.

Kicking against tradition: women’s football, negotiating friendships and social spaces

“…Sexuality has been focus for debate in women's football especially (Cahn, 1994;Caudwell, 1999Caudwell, , 2004Cox & Thompson, 2000). Race and ethnicity have been subject to some scrutiny (Ahmad, 2011;Ratna, 2013Ratna, , 2011Scraton, Caudwell, & Holland, 2005), but there is more theoretical work to be done here. Nevertheless, the composition of the sample was a mixture of white single women of various socio-economic backgrounds, and although participants did not talk comprehensively about sexuality, many were in heterosexual and couple relationships.…”

Off-Colour Landscape: Framing Race Equality in Sport Coaching

“…The failure to name whiteness has been noted by Scraton et al (2005) who state that White research participants are rarely defined in relation to their 'race' and ethnicity and the knowledge produced from their experiences is often used to theorise a universal experience, particularly for women (Bruening, 2005;Collins, 1986;Harris, 1990;hooks, 2015;Mirza, 2009Mirza, , 1997. The sample of coaching and equality staff who contributed to this article were all 'White', and were predominantly women.…”

“…Specifically, we explore the opinions, attitudes and ideologies of stakeholders regarding 'race', ethnicity, racial equality, diversity, and whiteness in relation to sports coaching. Contrary to the popular belief that sport is a platform for equality and diversity, research reaffirms that sport coaching remains an arena in which interconnecting disparities of 'race', ethnicity, gender (as well as other social categories) create structured power relations that serve to reinforce patterns of inclusion / exclusion (Armstrong, 2007;King, 2001;Long, Hylton, Spracklen, Ratna, & Bailey, 2009;Scraton, Caudwell, & Holland, 2005;Sporting Equals, 2011;Sports People's Think Tank, 2014). Yet, the concepts of 'sport for all', equality of opportunity and inclusion have not been subject to rigorous analysis in sport or sport coaching research (Author B, 2012), with the exception of a few reports (Norman, North, Hylton, Flintoff, & Rankin, 2014;Sporting Equals, 2011).…”

‘Who wants to make aloo gobi when you can bend it like Beckham?’ British Asian females and their racialised experiences of gender and identity in women's football

“…However, a statistic that is not often measured in such surveys, is the number of ethnic minority girls and young women playing the game. Scraton,Caudwell,and Holland,2 in their research about the footballing experiences of 'black' and British Asian 3 women, found that a number of them were known to be playing the game in England. Additionally, in my doctoral research, 4 I found more than 70 British Asian females playing at different levels of the Women's Football Pyramid.…”