Rotherham United are delighted to pledge our support to the recently established Her Game Too movement, as we look to further highlight our commitment to ensuring that everyone feels valued and welcomed at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
At Rotherham United, we see the value of everyone and we believe that people should be able to attend matches here safe in the knowledge that their opinion will be valued as much as the next person.
However, we understand that there is still work to be done to ensure that outdated thought processes are eradicated from our society and we aim to raise awareness of the need to end all forms of discrimination that regrettably still exist in some quarters.
Football is everyone’s game and the Her Game Too initiative focuses on striving to put an end to disrespectful and abhorrent comments made towards and about women who watch the game that we all love.
The women’s game has grown significantly over recent years and with that has come a huge influx of female supporters attending matches right across our country, alongside the many who have been born and raised watching the game.
We are delighted to be hosting UEFA Women EURO 2022 games right here in our town this summer and we are excited to be welcoming top-class international women’s football to AESSEAL New York Stadium for what we are sure will be an unforgettable summer of football.
Now, the Millers join a number of clubs from the EFL and beyond to commit to eradicating sexism, not just from football, but society as a whole and creating further awareness to the problems faced by women.
HerGameToo was founded by 12 passionate female football fans who are committed to growing the campaign with the aim of fostering an ethos in football in which women are welcomed and respected equally.
The non-profit organisation aims to create awareness, educate, research, develop a strong sense of community and create strong relationships with clubs, among much more.
Further aims include creating regular content to champion women in football (players, staff and fans), creating strong relationships with club trusts and communities, having a presence at football grounds and sports bars to build a more welcoming environment for young girls and women as well as continuing to campaign against sexism in football and online abuse.
We are proud to say that one of the women who has been at the forefront of starting this campaign is one of our own lifelong supporters, Abbie Ackroyd.
Abbie initially united with a group of fellow supporters representing their various clubs to produce a video on social media, highlighting the various deplorable comments made online about women, who simply voice their opinions on football, as any supporter would do.
Since then, the initative has continued to go from strength to strength, with the Millers the latest of a whole host of clubs to team up with Her Game Too.
"It's brilliant to be able to partner up with the Millers, not only because it's a club so close to my heart, but also because they already work tirelessly to ensure Rotherham United are inclusive and progressive.
“This is by constantly working with the local community, getting people of all different ages, backgrounds, genders and ethnicities involved in the club, making them feel welcome and safe at Rotherham United.
“Her Game Too is about making sure gender isn't a barrier, we are all supporters of the same game and all want the same thing, which is what is best for our clubs."
“Thank you for supporting Her Game Too, I cannot wait to work together in the hope to eliminate outdated views from our stands for good."
Head of Community Jamie Noble echoed Abbie’s sentiments and is looking forward to working with Her Game Too to help eradicate sexism from our society.
“I know I speak on behalf of everyone at Rotherham United when I say that everyone is valued and welcome here and I would like to reiterate that we absolutely condemn all forms of discrimination in our society.
“With this in mind, we’re delighted to pledge our support to the Her Game Too movement, as their views marry well with ours, football is everyone’s game.
“We’ve made great progress over the last decade or so, but as a society we still have a long way to go to ensure that everyone is valued equally, which is why initiatives like this one are crucial in helping us raise awareness of the issues at hand.”
For more information, please visit www.hergametoo.co.uk.
As a football club, as a sport and as a society, we expect better.
Football, is everyone’s game.