As I was scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) at the weekend, I came across a video of a young fan at the WSL Manchester derby. The video, which has since been deleted, shows the boy peering over the edge of the Manchester City dugout as England Lioness Chloe Kelly and the rest of the team make their way onto the pitch post-match. City had just claimed a 3-1 victory over their biggest rivals in front of over 40,000 people, and they were understandably giddy with excitement as they made their way towards the team huddle.

But the post in question isn’t concerned with the players’ celebration, nor is it to do with their outstanding performance during the game. Instead, it’s a critique of Chloe Kelly’s behaviour. Her crime? Not noticing and reciprocating the young fan’s outstretched hand.

The relationship between players and fans in the WSL has always been a special one. It’s just one of the reasons why women’s football is so magnetic to follow: not only have the smaller grounds and crowd sizes allowed fans to get physically close to the players, but the recent professionalisation of the game has given long-term fans a sense of responsibility and pride in the growth of their favourite clubs.  

The fan culture on social media is burgeoning too, with players interacting directly with fans and clubs sharing behind-the-scenes clips and skits that highlight the personality of their favourite players. You only need to look at the difference between Arsenal’s men’s and women’s TikTok accounts to get a sense of the community the women’s game offers. From videos playing into fan jokes to clips of the players themselves taking part in viral trends, the ‘we’re all in this together’ vibe is alive and well.  

But as the game has grown, this relationship is being put to the test. The crowds at WSL matches are now peppered with signs asking for a player’s shirt or boots, and fans regularly crowd the outer edges of the stands hoping to meet the players before the final whistle has even been blown. Players still try to do their best to get around to everyone, but spending 30 minutes meeting fans and taking selfies at the end of a game doesn’t go far when you’ve got 40,000 people watching you. Players also have recovery-focused and media responsibilities to tend to post-game, and giving away their kit every week isn’t sustainable.  

Very often, this context is forgotten. The criticism levelled at Kelly has led to a wave of misogynistic abuse being thrown at her and the women’s game in general, with commenters making out that players should be ‘grateful’ to fans coming to watch the game and that they should ‘watch their egos’. 

And Kelly isn’t the only player who’s been placed under scrutiny. Manchester United and England goalkeeper Mary Earps has also been called out by fans, with one deeming her “too busy and important” to stop for her daughter after the club’s 5-0 win against Everton last month. Posting the comment on her social media, Earps responded: “I try to ignore comments like these – but after a great win and spending so much time post-game meeting so many of you lovely lot afterwards, it’s hurtful to get home and get tagged in comments like these. Be kind. Happy Sunday. Love Mary x”

In a press conference ahead of England’s Nations League match against Belgium on 27 October, she added to her comments on the interaction. “It’s something that we as players are experiencing in a very different way with the profile of the game changing. We love to interact with the fans. but it’s at times becoming really difficult to keep everybody happy and to interact with as many people as possible.”

She continued: “We’re obviously so grateful that thousands and thousands of people want to meet us and come and talk to us, but the reality of it is, if that’s the expectation, we’re always going to fall short. I think the emphasis on it needs to switch now. We love that we can be so connected because of how the game has grown, but equally we are subject to a lot of comments and unnecessary… I don’t want to say ‘abuse’ because that’s a bit strong, but at times, it’s just an addition to the game that we don’t need… We’re doing our best.” 

It’s clear that, as Ella Toone highlighted last season, these expectations are “unsustainable”. Fan zones – such as Man City’s ‘autograph alley’, where random fans are selected to meet members of the first team post-match – are one possible solution, but it may not be enough to curb expectations. Indeed, as England legend Rachel Yankey suggested earlier this year on Three Players And A Podcast, these decisions may need to be taken out of the hands of players as the game continues to grow.

“I think sometimes people need to take it out of the players’ hands and don’t actually allow the players to do it,” she said. “Although I do think that it is something that is special about the women’s game – that fans can get close and you can actually… your hero is touchable, is relatable, unlike in the men’s game.”

Ultimately, players still want to interact with the fans who support them, but criticising players for failing to acknowledge one fan in a crowd of thousands simply isn’t fair. If we want to maintain the close relationship between fans and players in the WSL, it’s time these expectations were re-evaluated. And in the cases where this expectation comes from the misogynistic idea that players ‘owe’ fans an added extra for coming to the games (as if the football isn’t enough), it needs to be stamped out altogether.

Buying tickets to a football match doesn’t entitle you to a meet and greet. It gives you the chance to witness 90+ minutes of football. And while it’s incredible to see women’s football receiving so much love and attention, we need to ensure players are protected if we want to preserve the unique fan culture this sport has to offer. 

Images: Getty