Sunday, September 03, 2006

Can you spare a minute to write a message to the BBC?

If you check on the BBC sport pages you will find on the main football page (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/default.stm ) there is a permanent link to a permanent index page of news about women's football.

On the main cricket page (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/default.stm) there is ALSO a permanent link to a page of news about women's cricket, and today there is even - highlighted with a photograph - a review of the women's test series. And the same applies to tennis. And golf. In fact I could probably carry on down the list of major sports and in every case where there is significant and separate women's participation there is a permanent link to a permanent page of news about the women's game.

With one exception. Guess which one. I'll give you a clue - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/default.stm

Okay for the period of the women's world cup they have a small index buried in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. But this will disappear when the world cup finishes, thus again wiping all mention of the women's rugby off probably the busiest general rugby news webpage anywhere.

I've written a small note to the BBC to ask quite why this should be, but presumably one moan from one reader won't make much difference. So I wondered if you felt that if the BBC's treatment of your sport (or lack of it) was a shade unfair you might also like to pen something to them - there is a feedback form at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/3701180.stm

Does it matter? Yes! If the BBC (of all people) don't cover the game, who will? Coverage brings in interest which brings in sponsors and funding. It also attracts more players and it also means that people (well, lets be honest here, men) in the game are more likely to (eventually) take the women's game more seriously.

At the moment we are all but invisible - and it shows.

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