Fighting for the right to be a female bluenose

[Alpha Kenny Wun 72]

That's ridiculous and absurd! Women can't fight, i've seen them.

[Foreverabluebell 1]

Well, a lot of the people who don't want women to go to the football are middle aged and older. This is because their generation were brought up going to games in the 70's when women never went.

Football had a bad name with all the hooliganism in the 70's and it wasn't the place for a female. After that was cleared up and the Turner Report kicked in, football became more family orientated for the mtv/internet generations. This new age of football was a world away from the 70's where political correctness never existed and people battered each other regularly (cue; 'those were the days' from WVB ).

So I don't judge them for thinking like that. Women had their predetermined role in a family and society dictated what they done with themselves. It's now all changed, but people have lived 40 or 50 years through that and no one can judge them for their beliefs.

As said, football is marketed (sex symbols, exercise, commercialism etc) for families now which, for similar reasons, older generations disagree with.

You won't change these people's opinions and don't be disheartened by what they would say or think. Worth pointing out though, prior to that generation women made up a sizeable part of a football crowd pre world war2. Even now, Leicester City boost as the most freindly club in the UK; 25% of season ticket holders are female.

Good post,highlights the situation really well.As I said in a few posts back,I understand why some supporters have issues with females populating the stands and your post helps to explain this.I'm not bitter when older,more traditional fans find it harder to conceive that a women can go the games and enjoy it; I just become agitated when people of the same age have a problem with it and even go as far to say that "it's not right"

[david271994 0]

Not a big fan of females at games TBH when your belting out a song and then you get the funny look.

Also away games bus is not really a place for women.

Home games is ok.

I've heard that a few times,someone said that it would be like a bride joining in on her groom's stag do which I think meant that the level of humour/drinking would totally change and women would just be getting in the wayand seen to spoil all the fun .Travelling on away buses seems like a laddish day out and it would probably put me off men for life lol.I think attending the actual game wouldn't be a problem and travelling there if it was your own transport but most away buses seem out of bounds for wee kids and women and it should probably stay that way after listening to certain stories!

LOL at least you agree.

My brother who is 13 goes on one but lol.

[WVB 2,560]

Ahhhhhhhh those were the days, before the Taylor Report.

[melvinho87 1]

there is nothing sexier than seeing a woman in a gers strip

[ritchieshearercaldow 22,137]

I'd rather see ladies at a game than lady/boys, you never know where you'll find romance.

BTW I read a book where the main character (a police officer) was a Black Gers supporter going to the games on her own, now that's a challenge for any young or old Lass.

Bring on the girls

[GEMMARFC 0]

very good point, gets to me as well when people start "its not right lassies liking football" i've been brought up a bluenose and i wouldn't have it any other way. but at the same time it does annoy me when girls just pretend to like football to impress people, if your not a true supporter, don't bother.

[PaBear 0]

My good lady has had a season ticket in the Copland Rear for over 25 years. She knows the game, loves the'Gers and knows how to behave herself. A perfect Bluenose. Surely the days of questioning a female at a game are long past?

I would not give this comment a second thought Foreverabluebell. You are part of the family and have every right to be so, just as I have or any other poster on here!

Thats what i wondered , i went to Ibrox for 30 years and it was never unusual to see females at the game.More so in the last 10 years.In social settings it was normal and expected that all the females had thier favorite team.Maybe thats just a central Scotland thing but i knew girls that could teach plenty of guys a few things about thier clubs.

[Thermopylae 15,286]

The downside of making football a family game is the banning of songs like TBB ... perhaps I'm showing my age here but the increasing gentrification of football is not entirely a good thing

[brissyger 8]

Over here even less girls like proper football than over there I would say. The sport doesn't have as much prominance over here of course. Most girls I've met aren't particularly into sport and like you said if they do watch it it's because they think the guys are hot. Most of them like the more muscular builds of the guys who play the rugby codes and AFL though. I have to this day never met an Australian girl who is into proper football as much as any guy. The only girl I know personally who loves football is my sister, who is a diehard Rangers and Liverpool fan and attends Brisbane Roar games with me. I would certainly have no problems with a girl loving the sport as it would probably mean I'd get away with watching games at 12-2AM in the morning a lot more

[brissyger 8]

The downside of making football a family game is the banning of songs like TBB ... perhaps I'm showing my age here but the increasing gentrification of football is not entirely a good thing

I was at a game once when I still drank and my team were down and I was getting quite irritated at our players pissing about with the ball in the box. Finally I yelled out "Just fucking shoot the ball you cunt" and got an earful from an middle aged man in front with his young kids there. Now I wouldn't use that language in most siuations but a football match is heated and if you've got a problem with that sort of thing you shouldn't be there. There's even a special unlicenced area for families so I think he forfeited any right to complain about drunken cursing when he decided to take his kids into the licenced section.

[FlippinEck 3,705]

[simplythebest 11,453]

The downside of making football a family game is the banning of songs like TBB ... perhaps I'm showing my age here but the increasing gentrification of football is not entirely a good thing

I was at a game once when I still drank and my team were down and I was getting quite irritated at our players pissing about with the ball in the box. Finally I yelled out "Just fucking shoot the ball you cunt" and got an earful from an middle aged man in front with his young kids there. Now I wouldn't use that language in most siuations but a football match is heated and if you've got a problem with that sort of thing you shouldn't be there. There's even a special unlicenced area for families so I think he forfeited any right to complain about drunken cursing when he decided to take his kids into the licenced section.

The older woman who sits in front of me does nothing but swear and shout, kids around or not.

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

I go to the football quite a lot with my girlfriend,we will be going to the Champions League matches together anyway.

The boys on the bus gave me a bit of a ribbing saying "you go to the football to get away from the wumman"

but she was a big Rangers fan before i met her and doesn't mind getting pished so therefore why would i want to

get away from her .

[simplythebest 11,453]

I go to the football quite a lot with my girlfriend,we will be going to the Champions League matches together anyway.

The boys on the bus gave me a bit of a ribbing saying "you go to the football to get away from the wumman"

but she was a big Rangers fan before i met her and doesn't mind getting pished so therefore why would i want to

get away from her .

[Blueminawful 0]

pan her fckn face in, stinkin, jealous tim cnut!!!

[Guest]

I wouldn't think there was anything wrong with it, I know plenty of female footy fans though not many of them attend games, but if you look around Ibrox there is hundreds of girls at the games.

And their isnt many things as sexy as a wee tiger in a rangers top :L

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

I go to the football quite a lot with my girlfriend,we will be going to the Champions League matches together anyway.

The boys on the bus gave me a bit of a ribbing saying "you go to the football to get away from the wumman"

but she was a big Rangers fan before i met her and doesn't mind getting pished so therefore why would i want to

get away from her .

That would be very disrespectful without her permission

[908 14]

Last night in work one of my workmates told me that a fellow female colleague had been talking behind my back and was bitching that it "wasn't right for a female to like football so much" and "it wasn't nice".I asked why this was even getting talked about in the first place and my friend said it started just after Rangers won the league this year.This woman is a bitter Tim but knows nothing about the sport or the team.My manager had given my special permission to go through the back to check my phone for updates of the scores and when it was full time I went up to my Bluenose work buddy and finally got to say "We did it!Champs again! ".I finished at 4pm that day and when my shift was finished I got changed,brought out my Rangers scarf and then went outside to wait for my Dad who was taking me to Ibrox.I did not ridicule her once,I barely even mentioned the results to her.It was one of those moments where I was more interested in celebrating with Bears than annoying myself by talking to Tims.She on the other hand was telling customers that it was ok "because Rangers hardly have any cups anyway".

So when I found out that she had said that "it's no right for a lassie to like football so much" I was angry but prepared to discount it as jealous bitter tim pish.However,my work mate said that the other people who she had been talking to agreed with her and said it wasn't normal.This was what really started to annoy me because I don't harm anyone with my supporting of Rangers and who has the right to judge me or any other female who follows the sport?

I've seen this attitude before though,I have a little black Rangers watch and someone on the bus once asked me the time and when I looked at the watch they noticed the emblem and said "why does a lassie want to wear something like that?".

I've also seen this attitude at Ibrox unfortunately and I often feel that I'm making the men around me feel uncomfortable by being a young female on my own.I don't think I'm paranoid either,only one guy actually talks to me at my seat and I just thought everyone else was shy or kept to themselves.However my dad was in the seat on Sat and commented on how everyone was talking away to him.In a way I understand why people might be more apprehensive to talk to me and why it takes longer to get a male fan's respect.Sometimes female supporter's are their own worst enemy as they will admit that they only watch it for the guy's legs or they are just in it for the glory,attention or even bigotry.That's why when I start discussing tactics or transfers people look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language

Now I don't mind people saying that it's unusual for a female to like football so much,I don't mind being in the minority and I don't even mind having to "earn" fellow fan's respect that little bit more than male counterparts do.But what I really hate is the idea that it shouldn't happen or "it's not right".

Once my workmate told me about the bitching I asked people who were on the same shift as me "do you think it's wrong if a girl actually likes football?" and I was really dissappointed when the security guard said "yeh,it just doesn't make sense" and this was echoed by the other people there at the time.

Even my own Dad didn't really acknowledge that I liked football for a while and my mum told me that he had said that he didn't really understand or like it.Coming from my family Rangers are the only team you can cheer on,but me actually taking an interest in the game?That wasn't so easy.My Granny also says "it's not very attractive" but I don't take so much of notice because it's more of a generation thing there.

What are your perceptions of female fans?Of course,you will have good and bad experiences but overall would you say that the females you encounter understand and enjoy the sport?Or is it more of a popularity thing when they put on a top?How do you feel when you see females at the stadium?A nuisance and you would prefer similar men around you because the general consensus is girls don't have a clue?Or do you not give any importance to gender as long as they love the team and aren't total idiots?Fellow female fans,what reactions do you face when you show a real interest in the team?

Be honest though,I'd really love to know if females can know "too much" about football and whether the lyrics "We love to see the lassies with the blue scarfs on" should be extended to "...but not at the stadium"

Interesting post. I wouldn't worry too much about nobody talking to you at Ibrox, I used to have a season ticket by myself and nobody talked to me much either. Most of the guys nearby seemed to all know each other already. That was in the Copland Rear, other seats I had were different. It just depends where you get put. It is very different from the days where you just turned up and sat next to your mates, now they won't be able to get seats next to you. But that isn't why you should go, to make friends. You go to watch the football. I suppose there might be an issue, if you're an attractive woman (I'm imagining about 18/19 here) that older guys nearby will feel it's inappropriate to talk to you, it could be seen as chatting you up. Whereas guys don't have that issue with other guys at the football, because it is assumed that every guy there is straight (or else why would they be at the football). So I wouldn't worry about that too much. It is a bit like school - probably about half the (younger) guys sitting nearby are in love with you, but are too shy to talk to you!

It's funny though, you never see gangs of girls going to the football, the way you see gangs of boys going. Maybe you should start a female only fan club. But then again, why aren't you supporting womens' football? People go on about Rangers' alleged signing policy pre-1989, yet seemingly nobody blinks an eyelid that no woman has ever been allowed to play Scottish league football, on the same terms as the men. They are allowed to referee the game, but not play it (with men). Despite making up 52% of the population. This is one of those paradoxes in society, where blatant discrimination is allowed, but other forms of discrimination are a criminal offence. I know not many women footballers would be good enough, but surely the likes of Julie Fleeting could get a game for East Stirling? If Michelle Wie is allowed to play golf with the big boys, why aren't women footballers allowed?

I don't want to come over all lefty, though. A helluva lot of men really do just go to the football to get away from the wife/girlfriend for a few hours. They aren't joking. So a lot of men wouldn't be attracted to a woman who follows football, even if it is the same team as them. They would see a relationship with such a woman as threatening their enjoyment of the football! Think of it as being a bit like a workplace relationship - you might get sick of the sight of each other, problems develop if you split up, imagine seeing her with another guy, etc..

The stuff about workplace jealousy is mainly bitter tims - just because they don't go to matches themselves doesn't make them any less bitter. Of course, you really should have got that day off. I took the whole week off, simply because I would have been too sick if we had lost to face the tims in work. You sound like one of these fans who don't take defeat too badly, which is even more annoying for rival fans when you win!

What people really don't like though, is women behaving aggressively. I have seen and heard burds at Rangers games go really over the top with the abuse (personal, sick stuff) and while I suppose it isn't any more acceptable when a guy does it, it just seems even more disturbing when a female does. Wee neds act aggressively because it impresses burds, and intimidates other neds around them, but who exactly are these neddy girls trying to impress? They impress nobody, just make everybody feel a bit uncomfortable watching them. But I'm sure you're not a Vicki Pollard type!

So all in all, I would suggest you should take a friend along, or go with a group so you don't feel like a loner with nobody talking to you. But it isn't just female fans who feel uncomfortable sitting on their own!

[Foreverabluebell 1]

Interesting post. I wouldn't worry too much about nobody talking to you at Ibrox, I used to have a season ticket by myself and nobody talked to me much either. Most of the guys nearby seemed to all know each other already. That was in the Copland Rear, other seats I had were different. It just depends where you get put. It is very different from the days where you just turned up and sat next to your mates, now they won't be able to get seats next to you.But that isn't why you should go, to make friends.You go to watch the football. I suppose there might be an issue, if you're an attractive woman (I'm imagining about 18/19 here) that older guys nearby will feel it's inappropriate to talk to you, it could be seen as chatting you up. Whereas guys don't have that issue with other guys at the football, because it is assumed that every guy there is straight (or else why would they be at the football). So I wouldn't worry about that too much. It is a bit like school - probably about half the (younger) guys sitting nearby are in love with you, but are too shy to talk to you!

It's funny though, you never see gangs of girls going to the football, the way you see gangs of boys going. Maybe you should start a female only fan club. But then again, why aren't you supporting womens' football? People go on about Rangers' alleged signing policy pre-1989, yet seemingly nobody blinks an eyelid that no woman has ever been allowed to play Scottish league football, on the same terms as the men. They are allowed to referee the game, but not play it (with men). Despite making up 52% of the population. This is one of those paradoxes in society, where blatant discrimination is allowed, but other forms of discrimination are a criminal offence. I know not many women footballers would be good enough, but surely the likes of Julie Fleeting could get a game for East Stirling? If Michelle Wie is allowed to play golf with the big boys, why aren't women footballers allowed?

I don't want to come over all lefty, though. A helluva lot of men really do just go to the football to get away from the wife/girlfriend for a few hours. They aren't joking. So a lot of men wouldn't be attracted to a woman who follows football, even if it is the same team as them. They would see a relationship with such a woman as threatening their enjoyment of the football! Think of it as being a bit like a workplace relationship - you might get sick of the sight of each other, problems develop if you split up, imagine seeing her with another guy, etc..

The stuff about workplace jealousy is mainly bitter tims - just because they don't go to matches themselves doesn't make them any less bitter. Of course, you really should have got that day off. I took the whole week off, simply because I would have been too sick if we had lost to face the tims in work. You sound like one of these fans who don't take defeat too badly, which is even more annoying for rival fans when you win!

What people really don't like though, is women behaving aggressively. I have seen and heard burds at Rangers games go really over the top with the abuse (personal, sick stuff) and while I suppose it isn't any more acceptable when a guy does it, it just seems even more disturbing when a female does. Wee neds act aggressively because it impresses burds, and intimidates other neds around them, but who exactly are these neddy girls trying to impress? They impress nobody, just make everybody feel a bit uncomfortable watching them. But I'm sure you're not a Vicki Pollard type!

So all in all, I would suggest you should take a friend along, or go with a group so you don't feel like a loner with nobody talking to you. But it isn't just female fans who feel uncomfortable sitting on their own!

Thanks for your thoughts on the matter Yeah,that's very true about the level of interaction is subject to where your seat is and general luck.I wouldn't mind if nobody talked to me at Ibrox as you're right,I'm there to watch my team and many people around me will already have friends to talk to.What was annoying me was that my dad had a different experience sitting in the exact same seat.My Dad's actually a lot shyer than me but was still able to tell me more about my neighbours than I ever could.Nobody's rude or nasty to me in any way and perhaps the reason really is just because of my age and maybe the men around me do want to talk to me but feel it would look inappropriate.

I understand your point about watching women's football but it just doesn't appeal to me.I don't dissapprove of it in any way but I just have no urge to follow it,my heart lies with watching the male team who I would consider to be the "real" Rangers team.I wish women's football a lot of success to expand and improve in the future but at the moment I feel it does not match the tempo and quality of mens football.

I wish I could have had the day off but it's in my contract to work those days and I had already phoned in sick that season for the December Old Firm game which left with me with a formal caution grrrr

Lol,I actually take Rangers losing really really badly.I'm one of those people who go quiet about the result and if anyone says anything I'll end up biting their head off and properly shouting.But I've learnt to never show anger or sadness in front of a Tim as it only makes them happier!