| So 18%….. 09:29 - Apr 1 with 4280 views | Matt_Netherlands |
Two things I’d love to know…
How does this compare to the UK and European average for professional clubs?
What % of the Female UK population as a whole would claim to have an interest in football?
Snot really trying to be provocative here, but genuinely interested in these things before we see possibly misleading headlines about the ITFC supporter base.
To help answer the second, according to Statista only 14% of women claim to watch Premier League football regularly, so you could potentially argue that it’s even less for the EFL.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093874/share-of-british-adults-that-watch-m
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| So 18%….. on 09:35 - Apr 1 with 2296 views | itfc48 |
I'm sure we will see it grow over the next few years although maybe women want to support a woman's team rather than a men's team.
There are some stories of poor treatment towards women at football matches but that's not something I've seen at Portman Road. It'd be interesting to compare the average match day once matchday tickets have been factored in.
I imagine they wanted the most damning figure to give their campaign more clout. |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 09:39 - Apr 1 with 2271 views | Basuco |
There seems to be a lot more women that 18% at Portman Road, Mrs Basuco loves going to home and away games as well as watching football on TV, there seems to be a growing trend towards Mum's taking children, boys and girls, to PR as well. 18% seems very low for actual match day attendance. To my general quick memory that is. |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 09:49 - Apr 1 with 2227 views | abracaDOBRA_ |
Doesn't included kids and under 23s so imagine it is more than that, looking at probably 25-30% if you add those in?
I bet if you compare to other clubs (who funnily enough haven't released the data) ours is one of the highest. |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 09:58 - Apr 1 with 2178 views | GeoffSentence |
| So 18%….. on 09:49 - Apr 1 by abracaDOBRA_ |
Doesn't included kids and under 23s so imagine it is more than that, looking at probably 25-30% if you add those in?
I bet if you compare to other clubs (who funnily enough haven't released the data) ours is one of the highest. |
I am pretty sure that our female support used to be the highest or amongst the highest in the country.
As I delve back into my brain archives I recall there was a survey back in maybe the nineties or noughties and we came top for female support.
But I can't find it in any news archives, though my searches keep turning up loads of stuff about womens football in general rather than just support figures. |  |
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| So 18%….. on 10:06 - Apr 1 with 2148 views | Ftnfwest |
I'd say that's monumentally good given most birds i know can't stand footy. Did my bit by getting Miss F to a couple of games for the first time ever this season (she having got interested for the first time because of the Euros last year) but she's off to Uni of Liverpool in the autumn all being well, so that's put the kybosh on her supporting town i suspect... As for Mrs F, hates it, lost cause long ago i'm afraid. |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 10:10 - Apr 1 with 2125 views | lazyblue |
I am sure the ration of population of male and female in Ipswich has always been greater for male , it certainly seemed it when going for nights out in Ipswich when growing up . | | | |
| So 18%….. on 10:13 - Apr 1 with 2105 views | HighgateBlue |
Can you get season tickets for the women's team? If so, I assume this article is only referring to the men's team, but without saying so.
I don't see 18% as being toooo bad. It would be fascinating to see it broken down by age cohorts. You would expect the over 50s and even over 40s to be more male-dominated than younger cohorts, I would think. And the survey on this website every year reveals us lot to be way more male (quite possibly stale and pale, but maybe that's just me) than an 82:18 split.
The 18% figure needs to rise, and I am sure it will. This "Her Game Too" entity putting pressure on clubs can't be a bad thing. We're a club with a bigger capacity than we can fill just at the moment, so increasing female attendance is a win for everyone. And our women's team is flying high. The next thing that needs to happen is to open up promotion from the lower tiers of the female game, to encourage growth and aspiration rather than stagnation.
I won't suggest an all-male cheerleader troupe, but it can't be worse than many matchday entertainment offerings across the country! |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 10:29 - Apr 1 with 2043 views | WD19 |
Its only staggering if you are a bit dim. |  | | |
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| So 18%….. on 10:53 - Apr 1 with 1957 views | jayessess |
I'm not sure "how bad are we relative to others" is the most productive way to approach information like this. Almost every disparity of this type is mainly going to be a product of wider attitudes in society. Of course it is, Ipswich Town FC isn't going to be the main institution determining gender relations in 21st Century Britain!
But there's a choice as to what you can do with that. You can decide to hide behind it and say "not our problem, we're no worse than anyone else" or to say that's not right, our game should be for everyone and what can we do to help. |  |
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| So 18%….. on 11:11 - Apr 1 with 1903 views | Stourbridgeblue |
| So 18%….. on 09:58 - Apr 1 by GeoffSentence |
I am pretty sure that our female support used to be the highest or amongst the highest in the country.
As I delve back into my brain archives I recall there was a survey back in maybe the nineties or noughties and we came top for female support.
But I can't find it in any news archives, though my searches keep turning up loads of stuff about womens football in general rather than just support figures. |
Yeah - I remember that. I think ITFC had 25% female support when the average at other Premier League clubs was 15%. |  |
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| So 18%….. on 11:56 - Apr 1 with 1783 views | EastTownBlue |
I’m sure that there was some statistic twenty odd years ago that Ipswich had a greater percentage of women attending their matches than any other club. | | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:04 - Apr 1 with 1751 views | gtsb1966 |
When you watch the Women's Premier league the atmosphere is a little bit screechy shall we say. 18% is fine. |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:08 - Apr 1 with 1733 views | jayessess |
| So 18%….. on 12:04 - Apr 1 by gtsb1966 |
When you watch the Women's Premier league the atmosphere is a little bit screechy shall we say. 18% is fine. |
The mix of people on this thread saying stuff like this and people saying there's no problem with sexism at the club is ... something, isn't it? | |
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| So 18%….. on 12:14 - Apr 1 with 1720 views | Matt_Netherlands |
| So 18%….. on 10:53 - Apr 1 by jayessess |
I'm not sure "how bad are we relative to others" is the most productive way to approach information like this. Almost every disparity of this type is mainly going to be a product of wider attitudes in society. Of course it is, Ipswich Town FC isn't going to be the main institution determining gender relations in 21st Century Britain!
But there's a choice as to what you can do with that. You can decide to hide behind it and say "not our problem, we're no worse than anyone else" or to say that's not right, our game should be for everyone and what can we do to help. |
I’m not saying for one second that I’m content with being the least worst, as such. I just feel it’s a bit misleading to single out one club with no context behind it, to put it in perspective. Without that context it’s impossible to judge what good looks like. | | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:17 - Apr 1 with 1704 views | Dyland |
| So 18%….. on 10:53 - Apr 1 by jayessess |
I'm not sure "how bad are we relative to others" is the most productive way to approach information like this. Almost every disparity of this type is mainly going to be a product of wider attitudes in society. Of course it is, Ipswich Town FC isn't going to be the main institution determining gender relations in 21st Century Britain!
But there's a choice as to what you can do with that. You can decide to hide behind it and say "not our problem, we're no worse than anyone else" or to say that's not right, our game should be for everyone and what can we do to help. |
Do fewer women go because it's an an intimidating or sexist environment though?
I don't get how this is even a story, but I don't believe there are loads of women avoiding cos it's too blokey per se. I may be wrong. |  |
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| So 18%….. on 12:19 - Apr 1 with 1702 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
I thought 18% looked a pretty healthy stat when I saw it.
If asked, I would have guessed lower. |  |
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| So 18%….. on 12:20 - Apr 1 with 1691 views | STYG |
| So 18%….. on 12:14 - Apr 1 by Matt_Netherlands |
I’m not saying for one second that I’m content with being the least worst, as such. I just feel it’s a bit misleading to single out one club with no context behind it, to put it in perspective. Without that context it’s impossible to judge what good looks like. |
Pretty much everything Her Game Too have done has been excellent, but this seems a very weird tweet to put out about a partner club.
As anyone who goes up and down the country probably sees, the gut feeling would be that we are a very welcoming club in general and have a pretty high population of female supporters at matches.
Now if it turns out that every other club has 30% and we have 18% then yes it is staggering. But I would be surprised if many clubs have over 25% and would have thought 15%-20% was about the average across the EFL and that we are towards the higher end of that.
So if they put the statement into context with some facts, then great we can see if we genuinely do have an issue and no doubt all the good work that HGT and the Women's Premier League coverage does will rightly see more girls and women attend in future.
But without context and facts it seems really hard to imagine that 18% is so far away from an average figure to make it 'staggering'. | | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:20 - Apr 1 with 1691 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
| So 18%….. on 09:39 - Apr 1 by Basuco |
There seems to be a lot more women that 18% at Portman Road, Mrs Basuco loves going to home and away games as well as watching football on TV, there seems to be a growing trend towards Mum's taking children, boys and girls, to PR as well. 18% seems very low for actual match day attendance. To my general quick memory that is. |
That would suggest that the % of women buying matchday tickets is much higher.
That would be a useful stat. | |
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| So 18%….. on 12:21 - Apr 1 with 1683 views | gtsb1966 |
| So 18%….. on 12:08 - Apr 1 by jayessess |
The mix of people on this thread saying stuff like this and people saying there's no problem with sexism at the club is ... something, isn't it? |
No not really....unless people want to twist it like that. I prefer the atmosphere of a more male populated crowd. Yourself? | | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:23 - Apr 1 with 1664 views | BlueBadger |
| So 18%….. on 12:08 - Apr 1 by jayessess |
The mix of people on this thread saying stuff like this and people saying there's no problem with sexism at the club is ... something, isn't it? |
Summer of 2019, I heard a lot of people(I say people, I mean 'blokes') excitedly talking about looking forward to seeing ITFC sail the HMS Pisstheleague in the third division whilst refusing to watch the Women's World Cup because 'the standard's rubbish, innit'. |  |
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| So 18%….. on 12:23 - Apr 1 with 1645 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
| So 18%….. on 10:53 - Apr 1 by jayessess |
I'm not sure "how bad are we relative to others" is the most productive way to approach information like this. Almost every disparity of this type is mainly going to be a product of wider attitudes in society. Of course it is, Ipswich Town FC isn't going to be the main institution determining gender relations in 21st Century Britain!
But there's a choice as to what you can do with that. You can decide to hide behind it and say "not our problem, we're no worse than anyone else" or to say that's not right, our game should be for everyone and what can we do to help. |
You also need to look at the demographics within the season ticket holders.
It would be interesting to know the % of female season ticket holders under 35 years old, that would be a more accurate view on current / future trends.
If that % is higher, that suggests it will continue to rise. Thats the age group where growth will come from.
Many of the make season ticket holders will be 50+, and thats not an age where women (or men) are likely to change their habits. This age group is likely to scew the figures. | |
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| So 18%….. on 12:24 - Apr 1 with 1624 views | PhilTWTD |
| So 18%….. on 11:56 - Apr 1 by EastTownBlue |
I’m sure that there was some statistic twenty odd years ago that Ipswich had a greater percentage of women attending their matches than any other club. |
I think we had one of the higher percentages of women supporters back in the first Premier League period. I did some work on the Premier League Survey in 94/95 and I'm sure that was the case. I don't remember figures though. We had one of the older fanbases at that time, incidentally. |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:29 - Apr 1 with 1572 views | Skip_Intro |
to be fair it's not a bad percentage when you consider that for most households saturday is laundry day...
I am joking by the way and fully support any schemes to make matchdays safer and more inclusive... |  | | |
| So 18%….. on 12:31 - Apr 1 with 1551 views | jayessess |
| So 18%….. on 12:21 - Apr 1 by gtsb1966 |
No not really....unless people want to twist it like that. I prefer the atmosphere of a more male populated crowd. Yourself? |
Describing women collectively as "screeching" is fairly straightforwardly misogynist, no twisting required. | |
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| So 18%….. on 12:34 - Apr 1 with 1530 views | jayessess |
| So 18%….. on 12:20 - Apr 1 by STYG |
Pretty much everything Her Game Too have done has been excellent, but this seems a very weird tweet to put out about a partner club.
As anyone who goes up and down the country probably sees, the gut feeling would be that we are a very welcoming club in general and have a pretty high population of female supporters at matches.
Now if it turns out that every other club has 30% and we have 18% then yes it is staggering. But I would be surprised if many clubs have over 25% and would have thought 15%-20% was about the average across the EFL and that we are towards the higher end of that.
So if they put the statement into context with some facts, then great we can see if we genuinely do have an issue and no doubt all the good work that HGT and the Women's Premier League coverage does will rightly see more girls and women attend in future.
But without context and facts it seems really hard to imagine that 18% is so far away from an average figure to make it 'staggering'. |
The stat was put out precisely because ITFC is a partner club, I think? We were the only club to give them the data and they're using it to illustrate an issue in the game more broadly. | |
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