GLENN MORRIS: GOALKEEPER, DAD AND HER GAME TOO PLAYER ADVOCATE

“I want my daughters to feel they can talk about football in any way they want and not be judged for being girls or women.”

The Morris household is football mad, with a love of the game being the “common ground” that helped to bring him and his wife, Kate, together back when they met in school.

Now a father of two girls, Gillingham goalkeeper Glenn Morris is passionate about females being treated equally as both players and fans, and he’s been supporting Her Game Too as a Player Advocate for just under two years.

As a player who always has time for the young fans who queue up to meet him behind the Gillingham goal, Her Game Too’s Gillingham Ambassador Paige Collins knew the 40-year old would be a positive role model to join the campaign.

“Paige approached me to be a Her Game Too Player Advocate because she knew I had two daughters and I was more than happy to come on board,” Glenn said.

“With my girls, football’s a big part of our lives and it felt like I was the right sort of person at the club to get on board with it.

“I’ve been a Player Advocate for a couple of years now and it’s been really good, Paige has done really well with promoting it and we’ve had dedicated fixtures that have raised awareness - Gillingham’s quite a proactive club like that.”

Glenn turned professional in 2001 and he has noticed more female fans coming to games and playing football as his career has progressed through spells with the likes of Leyton Orient, Southend United, Aldershot Town and Crawley Town.

“When I first started in the professional game, in the early 2000s, there weren’t many women there and definitely not many young girls.

“I think that was because it wasn’t really a safe environment and I know sometimes it’s not now either, but there are more family sections at grounds and it’s a safer place to go with children in general - not just for women, but for young girls and boys as there’s a nicer environment now than there was back then.

“There’s a lot more going on than just the football now and, although there can be a bit of anger among football fans if things aren’t going well, it’s more of a family day out these days.

“My two girls and my wife are all big sports fans and I want them to have the same experience as everyone else and not be looked down upon or not be accepted at football because they’re female.

“Everyone should be accepted.”

Glenn’s youngest daughter is a goalkeeper and he supports her with her training, while both his girls enjoy playing netball.

They all regularly attend Gillingham games to support him and his team.

“My wife’s a big football fan. I met her at school and we used to talk about football a lot.

“She used to go and watch Liverpool as a child and football has always been a big part of our lives.”

Glenn hopes the diversity within football crowds, including more women and children attending games, continues to grow and he enjoys interacting with young fans in the stands on matchdays.

“Years ago, football was a man’s or boys’ day out and now it’s not seen that way as much, which is good.

“I see loads of girls at the games, behind the goal asking for autographs, and that’s so lovely to see.”

Gillingham became a Her Game Too partner club in June 2022 and have dedicated two fixtures to Her Game Too around International Women’s Day over the past couple of seasons - their home League Two games against Tranmere in March 2023 and Wrexham in 2024.

These events have helped to raise awareness of Her Game Too at the club, with photo opportunities with the campaign’s selfie frame, an all-female crossbar challenge at half-time and the Her Game Too Gillingham team spreading the word about the campaign to people throughout the club at the match.

Talks are currently ongoing to hold a dedicated fixture later this season.

“Brad and Shannon (Galinson, Gillingham’s owners) have really pushed Her Game Too and it's been all over social media and in the programmes, so it's definitely helped to bring the campaign to light and encourage conversations on the topic.

“I think you just want to see a level playing field and things being equal in terms of men’s football and women's football.

“You want to see people not being judged on whether they’re a female or male - if it's someone talking about the game, it should just be seen as a football opinion and everyone has the same rights to an opinion.

“That’s all I want for my daughters, for them to feel they can talk about the game in any way they want and not be judged for being girls or women.

“Everyone has a right to an opinion and I think that’s improving, but there’s still a way to go.”

Paige Collins, Her Game Too’s Gillingham Ambassador, said: “Glenn has been so supportive of Her Game Too since coming on board as a Player Advocate in January 2023.

“He is the perfect person to promote the campaign at Gillingham and is truly passionate about women and girls feeling safe at football.

“Glenn, Kate and their family have been my biggest supporters and I’m really grateful for all the awareness of Her Game Too they have helped us to raise at the club.”