NO WORDS
On the 31st August 2021 Western troops completed their occupation in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is now governed under The Taliban. Now as it stands, Afghan women, including the country’s women’s cricket team, will be banned from playing sport under the new Taliban government, according to an official in the hardline Islamist group. It was during an interview that the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said women’s sport was considered neither appropriate nor necessary. Reasons he stated : “It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.” (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ sep/08/afghan-women-to-be-banned-from-playing-sport-taliban-say).
In contrast, as a woman and parent to a young female footballer, I am grateful today to all those that fought for women rights in the UK - including the right to play sports. But lest we forget, 100 years ago this December (2021) the FA took away all the rights of women in football, refusing women access to FA football pitches, immediately after the First World War where women who had been liberated during wartime, forming football teams and playing to crowds of up to 53,000, they now found themselves being quietly shunted back into domestic life, returned to their "right and proper place" in society. Football was no longer a health benefit - it was now seen by top physicians, such as Dr Mary Scharlieb of Harley Street, as the "most unsuitable game, too much for a woman's physical frame”.
In remembrance of all these women that were not allowed to be part of the FA with access to playing fields or organise league games along with the girls that had no choice to either not play or be part of a boys football team as many of the Lionesses encounter in their back stories.
A minute silence will take place to mark the 100 year anniversary of the ban at all the games taking place on Saturday 4th December 2021. T0 honour all those who fought to reinstate women's football within the Football Association and have brought it into UK mainstream school's curriculum as well as school teams and leagues outsides of school. The fight is still on for a level playing field in terms of opportunities and pay but it's on the map for growth in the industry as a legitimate sport for girls and women.
No Words was a concept that came to be, as I photographed individuals and teams for another project 'Being Alice'. Part of the project that involved in a collaboration with teams, we talked with football families about their knowledge on the history of women's football including the banning of girls football which has a stigma even today for girls when choosing football over other activities. "Girls can't play football" has been a common discourse as girls and women have endeavoured to achieve their goals in this area. Ironically when giving the girls a large banner to state their feelings about the ban, stigma and feelings about the Inequality, the general consensus when discussed the topic was that they literally had no words which became even more powerful. The girls literally had 'No Words' when I asked them what they wanted to say about it as they couldnt actually believe this happened and was in place for so long. They were shocked at the history but as a team and individually each of the girls were of the feeling it wouldn't happen today, they wouldn't stand for it. They were keen to acknowledge and support the remembrance out of respect but doubly keen to get back to game about to take place. They didnt want to 'shout' about individual wrongs they just want their 'game' to speak for itself. One thing that is clearly evident is that these girls and women are of a generation that has had enough of restraints, restriction and Lockdowns. The resilence and tenacity of these girls and women will be a driving force now for the next generation of girls and women to achieve even more in this area.
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