Football, and specifically Brighton & Hove Albion, has always been Alice’s big passion in life – the result of her Seagulls-supporting mother Sharon, who has been a matchday regular since the Goldstone days.
“I’m not really sure I had much of a choice but to go when I was really young, but as I became a teenager I was already hooked,” Alice said.
Fast forward the clock and she has only missed a handful of games, home and away, in the last five years and was the standout candidate when the club appointed its new Her Game Too Ambassador.
“The aim for all Her Game Too Ambassadors at clubs across the country is to eradicate sexism at games and to make them more inclusive,” she added. “We’re already well ahead of the curve here at Brighton & Hove Albion in terms of inclusivity, but we are always looking at what can be improved and what can be done better.
“It’s important for me to be building relationships with the club, to make our fans more aware of the Her Game Too campaign – and to have a dedicated home fixture would be fantastic in that respect. Looking longer term, it would be nice to get more younger girls involved in supporting the club – not just here at the Amex but at our WSL games too, where female fans naturally find the surrounds more comfortable.
“Saying that, I’ve sat in the West Lower and the South West corner for the men’s games and have never experienced any issues at the Amex, and I’m sure that would be the same if I sat in the more raucous North Stand, which reflects so well on us as a club and a fanbase.”
That’s not to say sexism has been completely eradicated from our fixtures. Alice suffered a negative experience during an away game at West Ham United, and, disappointingly, it came from an Albion fan.
“The guy next to me found it appropriate to make comments like, ‘Does your boyfriend know you’re here?’ and ‘Oh, I’m surprised you understand the rules’ throughout the game.
“It was so disappointing to hear, and something I haven’t noticed at our games since I was a lot younger, so there is still work to be done. There might be other incidents out there that have simply not been reported, too, so I want to help anyone who has suffered any sexism at games to feel comfortable in coming forward and making a complaint.
“As someone who goes to football with her mum and other female fans, I think it’s so important that we all feel equal. Everyone deserves to have a positive footballing experience, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, religion or race.”
This is an abridged version of Alice’s interview from Sunday’s matchday programme against Nottingham Forest, available to purchase at the Amex, priced £3.50 or online here https://shop.brightonandhovealbion.com/gifts-souvenirs/souvenirs/programmes/
You can find out more about Her Game Too at www.hergametoo.co.uk