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By Faye Hackwell
Derby County’s new Her Game Too Ambassador is looking to promote football as a game for all, after being subjected to sexism herself as a female fan.
Simran Atwal grew up in the city and has followed The Rams since childhood.
Her own experiences of witnessing and being the subject of sexist comments while following football have inspired her to become involved with Her Game Too.
“As a female fan, I’ve found that experiencing sexism, whether that be through casual remarks and snide looks or downright troll comments and harassment, is sadly inevitable,” she said.
“I can say I’ve personally experienced this and I don’t want this to be ‘the normal’ anymore.”
Through her new ambassador role, Simran hopes to promote Her Game Too’s message of inclusivity, ensure female fans are able to report any incidents at games and collaborate with ambassadors from other clubs.
Derby County is not currently a Her Game Too partner club, but Simran would love to secure a partnership in the future to promote Her Game Too at the club.
“Her Game Too is an organisation I have followed and admired for a long time, whilst supporting and sharing social media posts and raving about them to anyone who would listen.
“The opportunity to become the Her Game Too Ambassador for Derby County is an absolute dream.
“I am passionate about eradicating sexism in football, having been on the receiving end of troll comments and funny looks far too often just for existing in this space.”
As a Rams fan, Simran has experienced the highs of cup runs and playing in the Premier League and also the lows of losing the 2019 Championship play-off final and the club entering administration, being docked 21 points and getting relegated from the Championship last year.
“The idea that we might lose our club was sickening.
“However, out of darkness comes light, and that brought the most memorable period of unity I’ve ever seen in our fanbase.
“The match that happened in January 2022 urging for our club to be saved was absolutely
phenomenal.
“Close to 10,000 fans gathered and walked through Derby in an incredible show of
support for our club, truly showing what Derby County means to us.”
As an ambassador, Simran hopes to see Her Game Too continue to grow, with more football clubs becoming official partners and the campaign’s aims of tackling sexism and championing women in sport being covered widely by the mainstream media.
“I’m beyond excited to get started and try to make a difference.
“Going to the games and being part of the community of Derby County fans is one of my favourite things on this planet and I’m already actively counting down the days until the season starts again.”