Montrose break new ground in fight against football sexism

Efforts are being made around Links Park to encourage an attitude of inclusivity

The club have joined forces with #HerGameToo, a campaign aimed at eradicating sexism in the football industry.

Mo are the first club in Scotland to lend their support to the initiative which has been a resounding success already south of the border. It aims to help make clubs as inclusive as possible and has developed a system for reporting discriminatory abuse.

Founded down south by 12 passionate female football fans, #HerGameToo wants to help clubs and fans see the value in all supporters. Partnerships with English clubs have already been forged and Montrose now lead the way north of the border.

Club director, Tracy Park, said: “Improving inclusion for women and girls in football is a cause that we at Montrose FC are committed to.

"The work done by our charity arm, the Montrose Community Trust, throughout our local community saw us named as the SFA's Best Club in the Community in 2017.

"In addition, we have been absolutely delighted with the success of our recently established women’s team, who won the SWFL Division 2 North in only their second season.”

The fan organisation’s website has a feature where female supporters can report instances of sexism at football grounds.

Bristol Rovers fan Caz May, one of the campaigners working with #HerGameToo, says the support of the Angus club is welcome

"It's fantastic to gain the support and backing from our first Scottish football club,” she said.

"We feel the message of #HerGameToo can resonate with female football fans across all areas of the UK and we are super excited to start raising awareness of our campaign in Scotland.

"We would like to thank Montrose FC for actively getting in touch and making this partnership happen - we look forward to working together in the future to create a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone at the football club."

The announcement of the partnership between Mo and the campaigning group came during Scottish Women and Girls In Sport Week which aimed to drive up participation levels of female involvement in sport.

Montrose operations assistant Lisa McEwan said everyone at the club was keen to nurture the ethos of being a venue where anyone could feel welcome and enjoy a match.

“We believe here at Links Park that we encourage and nurture a positive, forward thinking and inclusive environment for all, creating the best and safest space possible for all football fans," she added.

"However, being always keen to continue moving forward, we are delighted to have formalised this partnership with #HerGameToo and are proud to be the first professional Scottish club to do so.”

Anyone wishing to support the Montrose women’s team can do so this Sunday when they host Edinburgh Caledonia in the semi-finals of the Scottish Women's Championship Cup.