Footballer Gabriella Howell has lashed out at vile sexists in the community, who have suggested she gets picked on her looks – NOT her footballing ability.
Information sources on women’s football remain, unfortunately, scarce. Where a male footballer’s every move, down to their touch contributions in any specific game, are reported by various sources on the web, the same cannot be said for the women’s game.
However, according to a recent report by The Sun, Gabrielle Howell began her footballing career at eight years old, with Crystal Palace being the first team she played for. She currently plays her football with Sutton United, with Tottenham Hotspur being her club of choice – a major character flaw.
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Nevertheless, despite Howell drawing on her experiences of being told she gets picked for her looks and not her footballing ability, she remains defiant in her belief that she can be glam on the weekend and professional on the pitch, as she told the Mirror in an exclusive interview: “You can be both – you can play football and like wearing high heels.”
She reaffirms how much work there is still to do in society, however, with men commenting inappropriate things on her posts on Instagram, “Men will say they’re horny underneath my photos of me playing football – and if I tag my club in the post it’s embarrassing.”
It’s a lesson for all men who are struggling to accept that the female game can eventually draw on part with their male counterparts. Significant forward strides have been made, but it’s the responsibility of everyone to respect footballers like Howell for their ability, not their looks.
