A Euros Summer
This Fan Girl, England & France
As UEFA EURO 2020 finally got underway in June 2021, Goal Click and This Fan Girl teamed up for a new series, telling the story of the tournament through the eyes of four fans in England and France - Roseanna Gooder, Anya Hudson, Audrey Bakaladia, and Renuka Odedra. They captured life, joy, and despair in their home towns, streets, homes, and bars throughout the summer, from Wembley Way to Paris, Leicester, and Kendal. This Fan Girl is a community and platform powered by female football fans that aims for more equitable representation for women who love the beautiful game.
Roseanna Gooder
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
I'm Roseanna, I teach in a school for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in London and I'm a Tottenham fan. I'm part of the Yorkshire Spurs Supporters Club (where I'm originally from) so I enjoy going to the games with my Dad and the YS crew who travel down to London regularly! Living in Wembley Park right next to the stadium means that I get to experience the football/sporting community throughout the year.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
I wanted to capture the Wembley game day atmosphere during the Euros. It was a great feeling pulling into the tube station (from work) and being part of the atmosphere and pre game excitement. I tried to capture interesting people on my way home down Olympic Way. My flat has a shared garden so some of the photos are of friends who live in the same block. Through meeting for pre-game drinks on our garden terrace, I met another female football fan (Arsenal!) who happens to live directly below me in the block. I ended up watching the remaining games with her and her husband and have remained really good friends since.
I tried to capture the atmosphere around London but mostly in Wembley. The Wembley crowds got a bad rep on the news (some reasons were valid), but the feeling of excitement for the England team's achievements was amazing. It felt like a release for all football fans post COVID restrictions and the comradery and social interactions were incredible to be part of and observe. Everyone was in a great mood, talking to each other, sharing photos with the opposite teams’ fans; it felt like real freedom again and mutual respect for what we'd all been through.
I watched all the England games either in the stadium, in the Wembley area or at home. I couldn't take myself away from the atmosphere! I experienced it with two of my closest friends; one a football fan and one who entertains the experience just for us! We even got her to wear a football shirt for the final.
The lady with her England hat on was with her son and when I asked her if I could take her photo she was really pleased - I think she was proud of all her badges. Maybe one day that will be me!
What needs to change in football for female fans?
Representation in the male game - it's great to see more female pundits and presenters though. Male fans need to call out sexism from their friends/groups when they hear it during football games. The recent (May 2021) mannequin display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium shop had the women mannequins in the foreground of the men, wearing shorter shorts, posing with their leg bent and wearing trainers instead of football boots. I'm sure I don't have to explain how disappointing this is for both female players and fans.
Anya Hudson
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
I'm Anya, I turned 21 on the day of England's first Euros game, and I'm a Manchester City fan. I don't hate the international break as much as most others do, mainly because other girls start coming to the pub during tournaments and I love not being the odd one out for once. I don't have many women in my life that are into football so I don't often have that experience - international tournaments are a welcome change to that.
What did you try to show with the photos?
I watched every England game (bar the final group stage game) in the same pub in Kendal, my hometown. I live in Manchester now but with most of my friends still in Kendal I knew I wanted to be there to watch it with them. Growing up in such a small town means everyone knows everyone and has done for years. Most of us were at school together, so to have those connections while watching every game was unbeatable (even if tensions ran high a few times). The George and Dragon is the name of the pub and we had our own room for a big group of us, the bar staff became our friends, and by the end of the tournament it was firmly our favourite local. It was the perfect way to do it - no overpriced pints or gimmicks, just the pub with your mates.
The photos capture the sense of friendship and collectiveness we felt - we'd never have all been together if it wasn't for the tournament. Most of us are 21 and graduating uni next summer so there was that bittersweet sense that our teenage years are at an end and we have to be adults very soon. After a year of lockdown, it marked a sense of freedom and being back with the people you care about.
Two of my best friends, Brendan and Patrick, were celebrating Kane's goal against Germany. We've known each other for ten years now, and to be able to capture a moment of pure joy between them (they've definitely both got tears in their eyes) is something I know they'll appreciate having as a memory.
What needs to change in football for female fans?
I didn't have a bad word said to me all tournament aside from thirty minutes before the final - probably a bad omen - when a man had a go at me for being an “underage girl who knows nothing about football, filling up the pubs”. I don't want to be a 'female football fan', I just want to enjoy football, but I'm constantly reminded of it in so many different aspects.
Representation matters. Eni Aluko, Emma Hayes, and Alex Scott have an incredible level of knowledge of the game, and when given the visibility and put in front of a wider audience it changes perceptions. So much needs to be done and it'll never happen overnight, but for me it's all about encouraging and promoting women to get involved at every level. There are so many girls out there who'd be interested in football if they believed they could be without judgement, and that's what I like about international tournaments - in these moments the tribalism fades and it becomes something for everyone to enjoy, especially with this current generation of players who've shown they're more than just footballers, led by a manager who understands what the team represents in wider society.
Audrey Bakaladia
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
I’m Audrey, I’m 29 and I’m French. I have been interested in football since the age of 12 thanks to my father. My favourite clubs are Manchester United and Olympique de Marseille.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
Most people are my friends and family or some people who were with us in the bars, taken on the Paris streets and in bars. I didn’t know all the people I photographed, but I felt like I knew them because we were all having fun together, no matter what team we supported, and I thought it was important to share that feeling of “togetherness”.
You can see my niece and my cousin - it was the first time my niece watched a game outside of her house and she was sooooo happy.
The beginning of the Euros was great because we were all so happy to see Benzema back in the national team. We are the world champions, so we were all so confident. But in the end, France didn’t have a great competition. Being eliminated so soon really ruined the mood and the desire to keep watching the games.
During the final, and especially during the penalties, the atmosphere was loud as we were in an English pub. You could feel the joy and relief each time one of the English players scored.
What needs to change in football for female fans?
More safety in the stadiums. This goes also for men but as women we are sometimes harassed by men and it can ruin our experience. Also, mentalities must change. Men must stop thinking that we are watching football only for players. We feel all the emotions that football can create: joy, anger, frustration, sadness and more. They also have to started taking us seriously when we speak about it because yes, we are able to have the same knowledge about football.
Renuka Odedra
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life? What did you try to show with the photos?
I’m Renuka Odedra from Leicester. I’m a sports journalist and writer. I tried to show the ordinary fan’s perspective of watching the Euros. Because of the pandemic, many people were working from home or didn’t have the opportunity to meet up with friends or go to the game. So, a lot of us watched the matches at home.
I’m sure a lot of people had England shirts hanging on their washing lines throughout the Euros and the mask is symbolic of the times the championship took place in. During the pandemic, football and the Euros was a unifying moment and that was beautiful to see.
For those fans who can’t afford to go to games television has been a huge access point to the game. It was the same for me, watching with family and friends at home was the main way we kept up with the competition and celebrated England's success.
What needs to change in football for female fans?
Female fans are usually seen through a specific lens and you will only cover a finite number of issues and stories if you do look at it that way. We need to see the female experience through every possible lens, women from different ethnicities, genders, abilities and backgrounds. Only then can you truly understand what their experiences are and unearth the improvements that need to be made to the game. That’s the first step in order to think about what needs to change for female fans. In the main though - make the game accessible for all women.
