Ahead of this summer’s UEFA Women’s Euro tournament, Harry Redknapp, AJ Odudu, Karen Carney, Ellie Taylor and Jermaine Jenas have come together to show support for the ‘12th Woman’ campaign.
The campaign by Heieneken is trying to tackle and challenge the stereotypes in football culture.
Stephanie Dexter of Heineken said: “For so long football culture and fandom has been influenced by the men’s game. So, while the women’s game has grown massively, a legacy of terms such as ‘man on’ and the ‘the 12th man’ continue to dominate. Meanwhile the ‘12th woman’ is relatively unheard of. We want this campaign to help close the gender phrase gap in football language, but also invite a conversation about the entrenched bias and inequality that persists across football culture.”
The host nation England kick off the tournament on Wednesday night when they host Austria (8pm kick-off).
‘I Am the 12th Woman’ tees are available for public sale on Amazon for a price of £12.00 here with all profits donated to the NFP Women in Football.
Throughout the tournament supporters are encouraged to wear them in a show of allegiance, wherever they may be watching the action.
Karen Carney, who played 144 times for England said: “There are 11 women on the pitch who are giving everything to win for their country. Knowing that fans are cheering them on in the stands, at homes and in pubs across the country makes a difference and that’s why being a 12th Woman and saying it aloud really matters. Football fans’ approach to this tournament could be a major stepping-stone to real change in terms of how we all talk about football.”
Harry Redknapp said: “When I was playing professionally it really was a man’s game – women were banned from playing football in 1921 and the Women’s Football Association wasn’t even established until 1969. Thankfully times have changed, and in a big way, and I’m really proud to be a 12th woman and to wear the T-shirt for all to see. Some people could be confused by the term the ‘12th Woman’, they might have to stop and think. But that’s the whole point, that’s what Heineken is trying to do with this campaign.”
Yvonne Harrison, CEO at Women in Football said: “We’ve been really impressed by Heineken’s commitment to addressing gender inequality in football. That’s what Women in Football is all about too, so it’s fantastic to team up with them on the 12th Woman campaign. Every action that supports our work and amplifies our message helps to level the playing field and make football a fairer and better place.”
There will be three Reading FC Women players representing their counties in this year’s tournament. Amalie Eikeland of Norway, Sanne Troeslgaard of Denmark and Justine Vanheavermaet of Belgium.
