West Ham United #HerGameToo ambassador Charlotte Eve reflects on raising awareness of women in sport since the Euro's

For a campaign not even set up two years ago, #HerGameToo really has taken the world of sport in the UK by storm.

This has been spurred on further by the Lionesses historic Euros triumph, and #HGT inevitably becoming a firm fixture on the radar of football fans up and down the country.

The Lionesses aforementioned triumph has spearheaded a brilliant initiative in England with the Government pledging equal access to PE Sports in schools, as a result of campaigning by Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben Moy. HGT’s Charlotte Eve, the advocate for her beloved West Ham United, applauded the new deal and the Lionesses triumph.

“I think the Lionesses win was just massive taking it to a whole new level and gaining some respect around the sport. I think there is already a shift in attitudes towards it”.

Charlotte then called on how she has noticed that personally within her family too. “My Mum works in a school, she even says to me how she can see that shift, at such a young primary school level, it’s just viewed as ‘football’, it’s raising awareness. I say awareness rather than educate, because of what our campaign does, it raises awareness rather than educates”.

Recently, Manchester United’s Ella Toone has came out and commented on the need to find different and alternative ways around being connected to fans, among many of the changes with the WSL this season, with the inclusion of ‘away ends’.

The United midfiedler said, "I think it’s important that we maintain that close relationship with fans to make them feel engaged, seen and involved. It’s great we are seeing more attendances and stuff like designated away ends are long, long overdue for me. We do have to find a way to keep the fans coming as we need their attendance and their support to keep the game growing”.

Touching on #HerGameToo as a whole and getting involved, Charlotte said, “I never really heard much about it at the start. I’d seen bits here and there and thought it sounded like a brilliant campaign. I teamed up my writing with The West Ham Way, to fill out the application you needed to to become a HGT ambassador. I then had an interview with one of the girls from the lead team, and that’s how I got involved”.

As #HerGameToo branches out further into both women’s football and sport in general, we can be sure that the campaign is only just getting started in helping and empowering Women in Sport.

*Edited by Charlotte Stacey