Imperial girls can, always have been and will continue to

I have now been married for three wonderful months, and even though I may be the man of the house I can happily say my wife has a more proficient history in sport than I. Do note the lack of shame. I have no beef with such a statement. I am proud to talk about her previous achievements and will continue to be, even when our future children ask why I always lose during games night. Again, not in a ‘this is unusual’ way, in a perfectly normal, proud-husband manner.

We are here to talk about Imperial Girls Can. Last week, Sport Imperial hosted a successful five days of events with the aim of getting women more involved in sport. Sessions included tag rugby, tennis and Halloween-themed exercise classes; sessions aimed at the right target audience and reportedly enjoyed by all that attended. There did seem to be a limited amount you could choose to do, some even suggesting an element of sexism in those advertised. I can emphasise to a certain extent, with a much heavier emphasis on fitness classes than sport. But let’s explore this more.

Does that opinion not seem a tad extreme? Bringing sexism into this suggests an insulting selection of classes whose sole aim is to pander to women, condescendingly making them feel ‘involved’ in a masculine world of sport as if pleasing a temperamental child. I disagree, but don’t take my word for it, listen to the opinions of those that matter. This reporter decided to go out and actually ask those who took part, and you may be surprised.

I had the pleasure of speaking to the President and Vice-President of the Lawn Tennis club (both women I hasten to add), who were kind enough to spare a few minutes before heading off to one of the aforementioned events. I began by enquiring as to how Imperial Girls Can was set up, organised and advertised. It became clear there was minimal, if any, communication between Sport Imperial and the ACC clubs of Imperial College, echoed by the women’s rugby club who said:

“We were not given the opportunity to input on when the event was, 1-2 on a Monday was largely unsuitable as most people have lectures, as such there wasn’t an amazing turnout … the way they publicize and choose event times needs re-thinking “

Very telling from two clubs whose sports were among the few included. The tennis ladies inform me that most of the ACC clubs had events organised, but these simply weren’t advertised to the level of that seen for Imperial Girls Can. On whose head this lies is not for me to say, but it should be addressed in future events.

Time to deliver on the pleasant surprise I promised. The organisation may have been questionable, however I get the impression the events were enjoyable. In fact, I’m told the tennis women who attended other events had a great time and even got in touch with Sport Imperial suggesting some be added to the regular timetable. Again, the rugby club agree with this and enjoyed their session, reporting that those who did attend had a great time. If these events were truly sexist surely the atmosphere would have been one of anger and protest, not enjoyment? The simple fact is that these sports and classes are things that women enjoy, just not exclusively. Sport Imperial only have limited resources but it appears they delivered. Both clubs actually expressed disappointment that more didn’t attend, and the two I’m speaking to even inform me a boy turned up (shock horror!). But only the one, guess he must have been lost …

In fact, he may well have been. As a member of the opposite sex, I did get the impression the week was for women only. At no point was it made clear that men were welcome to attend, but as mentioned at the start of this piece, shouldn’t it be obvious? Equality means opportunities for all at supposedly single-sex events. To quote UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson: “Men … Gender equality is your issue too”.

My interview with the tennis duo moves onto their sport in general, in order to try and address this. I’m pleased to hear the Lawn Tennis Club has very commendable female participation, but at the social level there’s a hint of masculinity that means they actually organised a women’s only event. Are men really that intimidating? I certainly don’t feel it when doing the dishes in a fetching apron. There is also an obvious frustration that women’s tennis is seen as a lower form of sports quality compared to that of men, a thought which fans of hockey (Rio anyone?) and football (sorry boys, the female team have a much better track record) should know is simply not true.

I thank my guests for taking the time to talk to me and I thank you for reading this, but I know nothing can be solved with regards to sport equality in an 800 word article. I want to hear from all the clubs who feel there is a lack of gender equality, I want more events based around addressing male participation in female-based sports (and vice versa) and above all, I want my wife to let me win for once.