Across February and March, the National Football Museum is hosting Create the Space, a trio of online talks about representation, identity and mental health in football. The museum is working with organisations including Kick It Out and Football v Homophobia, with panels of footballers, journalists, curators and experts coming together to explore some of the key issues within our game.
All three talks will be available to watch live and free via Crowdcast. Please see below for the latest line-ups and links.
LGBT+ Identity in Women’s Football
Friday 19 February, 7pm
Hall of Fame inductee Lily Parr has been chosen as one of LGBT+ History Month’s Faces of the Year. In the first of our Create the Space talks, the National Football Museum will be teaming up with Football v Homophobia to discuss LGBT+ identity in the women’s game, how it has changed through the decades, and our collective responsibility to tell the stories of those players.
Panel: Sky Sports presenter Jess Creighton (host); England and Aston Villa defender Anita Asante; Crystal Palace goalkeeper and Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Goal Diggers FC, Chloe Morgan; National Football Museum Curator of Women’s Football, Belinda Scarlett; Director of Pride Sports, Lou Englefield; co-chair of Proud Lilywhites, Chris Paouros.
Crowdcast: crowdcast.io/e/lgbtmonthfootball/register
Underrepresentation of Women in Football
Monday 8 March, 12pm
Football is one of the most popular (and lucrative) sports in the world, creating a vast amount of roles and opportunities for people on and off the pitch. So why do women often find themselves consigned to the sidelines? We discuss the historical and modern issues in two panel talks with Kick It Out.
Looking Back Panel: Kick It Out Raise Your Game Co-ordinator Crystal Davis; Leicester City Women captain Holly Morgan; National Football Museum Curator of Women’s Football, Belinda Scarlett.
The Present Panel: Kick It Out Game Changers Zuleikha Chikh and Maria-Jose Ramos; freelance journalist Renuka Odedra; National Football Museum’s Jessica Furness.
Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/kickitoutnfm
Twelve Months from the Terraces
Thursday 11 March, 8pm
It’s almost been a full year since the pandemic forced clubs to close their turnstiles. Players are plying their trade in front of little more than cameras and club staff, while supporters remain unable to share the matchday experience in person. Our panel discusses the effect on the mental health of footballers and fans alike, the game’s response to events, and what more can be done within the game.
Panel: Heart’s Emil Franchi (host); Crystal Palace Women forward Amber Keegan Stobbs; FSA Chief Executive Kev Miles; Get Your Head in the Game author Dominic Stevenson; cognitive behavioural therapist and writer Saiqa Naz; Professor Andy Smith of Everton in the Community’s Tackling the Blues.
Crowdcast: crowdcast.io/e/twelvefromterraces/register