IS one enough? That is the question I am asking all of you this week. I suppose if the answer is ‘yes it’s a start, but we intend to build and grow on this’, then perhaps it is enough, just for the moment.
However, and I hope and trust that this is not the case, that these firsts will be seen in the eyes of so many organisations as the finish line and job done. Proclaiming to all and sundry ‘we have a women on our board’ or ‘we have a women professional playing our sport’, is not enough, one is not enough!
Diversity, inclusion, equality whatever word is your choice of description, these firsts do not mean that we have achieved this, that we can rest easy at this point; there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, a better balance that needs to be struck.
The first ‘one’ came from Scottish Rugby as last week they announced Jade Konkel as the nation’s first full-time female rugby player: A Scotland international player, the 22-year-old has been capped 23 times and will become a stage three player in the Scottish Rugby Academy. This comes as part of a bigger commitment from the SRU to the women’s side of the game as they also revealed plans for a new elite women’s scholarship.
To another team sport, and our second ‘one’ this time on a bigger stage, in fact the world stage, as we had another ‘first’, with the appointment by FIFA, the world governing body for football, of a female Secretary General. Fatma Samoura is the first woman appointed and the first non-European to act as FIFA Secretary General. This sends out a strong message to football organisations throughout the world that they have to pay closer attention to their own governance and reflect our diverse society.
Asked what she hope to achieve in her role, she replied “I want to inject diversity, more equity, a better governance structure, a stronger monitoring and evaluation system and an obligation to inform and report on the good deeds of FIFA.”
And finally our third ‘one’ – Sportswoman, a new magazine for anyone who is interested in sport – is another ‘first’ that was recently announced. To date we have not had a publication in Scotland that has a direct focus on our sportswomen and a wide range of sports, this is long overdue. Given that very little day to day coverage is given to women in sport ( aside from the regular feature in The National), this will be an invaluable resource to let young girls and women see what others are achieving and hopefully aspire to get active, healthy and have fun all through participation in sport. Click here to see a digital copy www.sportswomanmag.co.uk
With Rio just round the corner I have no doubt that coverage will start to pick up. Stories will emerge of our athletes, both male and female, who vary rarely grace our newspapers, radio or television and some of these will be names you may never have heard before. Wouldn’t it be good to think that we could continue to follow their progress after the games? Athletes don’t go into hiding for another four years till the next Olympics, so let us continue to read and hear about their successes, their challenges, their hopes and dreams.
These breakthroughs may be ‘first’s’, but it is my hope and belief they will become the first of many.
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