Issue 10: World Sevens, Bedroom Culture and the digital future of women’s football
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I’m Nali, a writer and creative from Liverpool. I write about culture and sport for magazines and help brands tap into subcultures through marketing. I also run a newsletter called Hot Grls Watch Sports dedicated to cultural commentary in women’s sports.
Favourite Team: LIVERPOOL FC
Favourite Player: Tobin Heath
Where you can find me: On Instagram @NaliSimukulwa and @HGWSports and on TikTok @Nalisheb0.
Under the Portuguese sun, players anxiously await kick-off. Fans in the stands hold signs aloft as a familiar anthem rings through the stadium and when the first goal is netted, celebrations are rapturous. This is the inaugural World Sevens football, a seven-a-side tournament played in Estoril, days before the UEFA Women’s Champions League final kicks off a stone’s throw away in Lisbon — but from the online buzz, you’d be forgiven for not knowing which competition is the most prestigious.
There’s a lot to like World Sevens, the small sided set up makes for free flowing, fun to watch attacking football while add ons like pyrotechnics, DJs and broadcasting by women’s football legends Anita Asante, Caroline Seger and Kelley O’Hara, draws fans in and keeps them watching, while the $5 million pound prize pot at stake is a clear pull for participating clubs.
Prior to the tournament, concerns for player safety, swirled, a valid anxiety given recent complaints of fixture congestion and the ongoing injury crisis in women’s football. A player's councill made up of former stars of the women’s game were appointed in the tournament’s planning stages to offer a useful perspective and mitigate such risks. Furthermore, watching players enjoy the games with silly celebrations, memorable pitch entrances and jovial behind the scenes snaps, it's clear how fans and players have fallen for the charm of a competition determined to bring joy.
The tournament was designed to coincide with the UWCL final, tapping into a network of women’s football fans, meeting them where they are at and offering continued football excitement shortly after the conclusion of many of Europe’s domestic leagues. After a season marred by complaints of stagnation and low jeopardy following the quick success of dominant teams like Chelsea and Barcelona in the WSL and Liga F respectively, W7F has offered fans a deeply memeable source of intrigue ahead of a Champions League final which sees clear favourites Barcelona fight for their third successive trophy against an an Arsenal side in uncertain form.
In my newsletter Hot Grls Watch Sports, I wrote about the relationship women’s football fans have to social media through the theory of Bedroom Culture. Built upon research conducted in the 1970s by sociologists Angela McRobbie and Jenny Garber, Bedroom Culture legitimises time spent consuming media in bedrooms as a significant cultural practice among young women. Girls’ living spaces are highly personalised and the bedroom is seen as a site of identity construction. As a result, girls tend towards activities which can be enjoyed from the comfort of home. It follows then that the women’s football fan community has turned to social media platforms to express their fandom. Finding mainstream public places to watch women’s football remains a challenge outside of major cities, and with media rights deals ensuring many games are streamed live for free, watching at home remains a popular option. And for fans who can’t always gather in the terraces, social media allows them to stay connected and in the know without ever having to leave their bedrooms.
In the modern era, sports competitions are digitalising and adding to their entertainment offer in order to attract younger audiences. New competitions like the YouTube live streamed Baller League, a small sided league featuring semi- pro players and football influencers managed by football legends like Ian Wright and John Terry is a prime example. World Sevens is shaping up to position itself in this new category of competition, perfect for the digital fan and though the competition is not without its broadcast teething problems in its inaugural year, World Sevens Football has the potential to entertain new, digital-first sports fans as traditional competitions risk becoming predictable.
Understanding the commercial opportunities within women’s sports, broadcasters like Netflix and Disney+ are brokering media right’s deals to get their piece of the pie. It remains to be seen how the mainstream adoption of the sport will transform a culture which has been celebrated by players and fans for the close knit connection born from its small scale.
New attention on the sport is current allowing fans-turned-content creators are to find success in women’s football’s blossoming media landscape, while players are using the new distribution channels to showcase their personalities and build their personal brands.
Only time will tell how the landscape evolves with the increasing attention but with its snappy format and social shareability, World Sevens Football has the potential to become an emblem for women’s football’s digital future.
