Femme Fatale
Women’s sport has spectacularly grown in recent years, spurred on by the success of England Ladies in football. I have always been a passionate supporter of the female game and have been frustrated by the slow progress that has occurred in all sports to invest and give the players, the same working conditions and pay parity as men in sport. Some of this environment has improved but it still falls way short of equality. Sportswomen are grossly underpaid and in sports such snooker, where the players rely on tournament winnings to earn, there is still a massive chasm between the two sexes.
As I have written in a previous blog, the women’s tour still remains out of the limelight. Players such as Reanne Evans have won multiple titles but until recently she didn’t even have anywhere to practice. The tour and the female game itself are not well published and unless you going looking for coverage on their website or social media, little exists on the television or newspapers.
However with any negativity comes positivity, the recent World Snooker qualifiers saw Reanne Evans and Ng On-yee compete against the men for a place in the first round at the Crucible. Positive media attention came with BBC Sport’s coverage of the Ng/McManus match that Ng narrowly lost. Has she won, this would have have a momentous occasion and may have led to a possible integration of the two games but even in defeat, it still showed that female players are just as good as men.
The recent story in the press of a female player who was prevented from playing in a competition because it would have led to the cancellation of some of the matches, highlights that sexism still exists. This is deeply upsetting to me as a man, equality in sport is so important and although prejudice is less prevalent than in my youth, it still exists. However this story put pressure on the local snooker association. Rebecca’s Kenna’s case shows that no woman is inferior and shouldn’t have to quit the league and go to the press to highlight the issue.
A very positive event though is the forthcoming Women’s Snooker Day. to be held at the Sheffield Winter Gardens on 01/05/19. In previous years, this was called Ladies Day but under its new rebranded title, it aims to showcase Women’s snooker and to encourage women to play snooker at all levels. Organised by World Snooker in partnership with the WPBSA and World Women’s Snooker, the day will bring coaches and players from the tour, including Rebecca Kenna herself and children from Spire Junior School. They will spend the day showcasing snooker and encouraging members of the public to pick up a cue and play.
I love snooker with all my heart and so want to a day when women play aside men on the main tour calendar. So many female players must exist in the youth of many parts of this country and just need to be nurtured and grown from the grassroots of the sport. If the women’s tour find youth success then this puts them in good stead for massively improving the main tour and getting several players onto the men’s tour. I want to see the day when a woman wins the World Championship at the Crucible. This will bring tears to my eyes and show that my mission was not in vain, women are survivors and will always fight for their rights, simply because this is not a man’s world!
https://youtu.be/UffUoa5NxMQ
As I have written in a previous blog, the women’s tour still remains out of the limelight. Players such as Reanne Evans have won multiple titles but until recently she didn’t even have anywhere to practice. The tour and the female game itself are not well published and unless you going looking for coverage on their website or social media, little exists on the television or newspapers.
However with any negativity comes positivity, the recent World Snooker qualifiers saw Reanne Evans and Ng On-yee compete against the men for a place in the first round at the Crucible. Positive media attention came with BBC Sport’s coverage of the Ng/McManus match that Ng narrowly lost. Has she won, this would have have a momentous occasion and may have led to a possible integration of the two games but even in defeat, it still showed that female players are just as good as men.
The recent story in the press of a female player who was prevented from playing in a competition because it would have led to the cancellation of some of the matches, highlights that sexism still exists. This is deeply upsetting to me as a man, equality in sport is so important and although prejudice is less prevalent than in my youth, it still exists. However this story put pressure on the local snooker association. Rebecca’s Kenna’s case shows that no woman is inferior and shouldn’t have to quit the league and go to the press to highlight the issue.
A very positive event though is the forthcoming Women’s Snooker Day. to be held at the Sheffield Winter Gardens on 01/05/19. In previous years, this was called Ladies Day but under its new rebranded title, it aims to showcase Women’s snooker and to encourage women to play snooker at all levels. Organised by World Snooker in partnership with the WPBSA and World Women’s Snooker, the day will bring coaches and players from the tour, including Rebecca Kenna herself and children from Spire Junior School. They will spend the day showcasing snooker and encouraging members of the public to pick up a cue and play.
I love snooker with all my heart and so want to a day when women play aside men on the main tour calendar. So many female players must exist in the youth of many parts of this country and just need to be nurtured and grown from the grassroots of the sport. If the women’s tour find youth success then this puts them in good stead for massively improving the main tour and getting several players onto the men’s tour. I want to see the day when a woman wins the World Championship at the Crucible. This will bring tears to my eyes and show that my mission was not in vain, women are survivors and will always fight for their rights, simply because this is not a man’s world!
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