Despite record-breaking audiences and historic achievements on and off the pitch, women’s football continues to be undermined by patronising media strategies and a culture that normalises sexist attitudes. The latest controversies only confirm just how far the sport is from receiving the seriousness afforded to the men’s game.
November’s Women’s League Cup draw sparked widespread criticism after concerns were raised about the legitimacy and professionalism of the process. Rather than being shown through an established broadcast channel, the quarter-final and semi-final draw took place on the Women’s Super League (WSL) TikTok page, and was hosted by content creator GK Barry alongside her Portsmouth midfielder girlfriend Ella Rutherford.
Footage showed GK Barry, real name Grace Keeling, remove Tottenham’s ball from the bowl, only to drop it back in and draw it again. The adjudicator present confirmed that it was the same ball, and the WSL later stated that they would have restarted the draw had she picked out a different team. Yet, the moment, which was paired with a range of sexual innuendos and jokes, fuelled doubts about the informal nature of the process.
The situation only deteriorated further when, while pulling out Spurs’ ball, Barry joked “What do we think of Tottenham?”, a reference to the commonly used anti-spurs chant by Arsenal fans. Spurs later asked the WSL to provide the full footage from the draw, prompting an official apology from the league.
The painstaking broadcast was then accompanied by TNT Sports’ YouTube stream for the Women’s FA Cup third-round draw airing without sound due to technical problems, leaving fans questioning why basic broadcasting standards still seem optional when it comes to the women’s game.
Recent miscalculations surrounding women’s football cannot be discussed without reference to Sky Sports’ launch of ‘Halo’, a TikTok channel supposedly created to “build a welcoming community for female fans, whether casual or committed, through fun, trend-led, and relatable content.”
Marketed as Sky Sports’ ‘lil sis’ account, the channel posted trend-driven videos referencing “hot-girl walks” and matcha; content viewers quickly condemned as infantilising and out of touch.
Prominent women’s football platform Girlsontheball said they could not “imagine this is what women sports fans want”, with one user branding the channel as “one of the worst concepts I’ve ever seen.” Another labelled the project “condescending”, calling it a “dumbed down sports channel for women.”
Ironically, despite being designed for female fans, five of Halo’s first eleven posts featured videos centred around male sports.
Andy Gill, head of social media and audience development at Sky, had written on LinkedIn that he “couldn’t be prouder and more excited about [Halo’s] launch.”
But within days, Sky had removed nearly all of Halo’s content and issued a statement:
‘We’ve listened. We didn’t get it right… We’re learning and remain as committed as ever to creating spaces where fans feel included and inspired.”
The continued lack of seriousness around women’s football feels increasingly out of touch with reality. The 2023 Women’s World Cup was watched by an astonishing 21.2 million people in the UK, while a peak live audience of 12.2 million watched England win back-to-back Euros in the summer, making it the most-watched television moment of 2025 across all TV broadcasters. The official WSL YouTube channel has gained 39.6 million views since launching in 2024, becoming the second most viewed women’s sports competition globally. Meanwhile, Champions League winners Arsenal hit an all-time WSL attendance record at 60,160 in 2024.
Despite these huge achievements, it is evident that barriers and backlash remain. No member of the Royal Family or the Prime Minister attended the Women’s World Cup final, a stark contrast to the treatment routinely given to the men’s national team. At club level, many WSL matches can cost as little as £6 to attend; brilliant for accessibility, but reflective of the undervalued nature of the sport. Social media comments continue to be filled with misogynistic and hateful abuse, to the point where both official media channels and players are being forced to switch their comments off.
Perhaps most significantly, women players remain drastically underpaid compared to their male counterparts, even as they continue to deliver record performances. Male Premier League players earn an average of over £3 million a year, while their female counterparts earn around £47,000; all for the very same job, playing for the very same teams.
Whether it’s an unprofessional cup draw or a patronising social media strategy, women’s football is evidently not being taken seriously by the very institutions that should be championing it.
For a sport that was banned by the FA until 1971, the incredible achievements of our female players in the last fifty years should be uplifted and celebrated to the highest degree. And while interest and crowds may be climbing, governing bodies and media outlets must match that commitment with true professionalism and guaranteed resources.
Women’s football is no longer a niche. It really is time the rest of the industry caught up.
