Why are women in sport constantly bombarded with weight loss culture?

The new year spelled excitement for Birmingham City Women FC (BCWFC) as they took on Arsenal – who are one of the best teams in the world – and won.

Despite their opponents featuring a handful of England’s tenacious Lionesses, like Beth Mead, Jordan Nobbs and Nikita Parris, Birmingham City dominated and it was a really exciting game. It reminded me of the joy of live football, and particularly the excellence of the women’s game.

But instead of revelling in the excitement, I was focusing on the logo printed across the shorts of the players on the Brummy side. This talented team was running around the pitch with a weight loss clinic’s logo below their buttocks.

My stomach dropped. How silly was I to think that the women’s game was being taken seriously? That this was about more than just looks?

I just cannot get on board with advertisements for weight loss products and services in women’s sport, when there is such an agonizing pressure on women to look and be a certain way in day-to-day life. 

I play football for a small south London team in a casual league where players are able to develop and learn. It’s social, it’s comfortable, it’s powerful, and it puts me in the best mood.

Endorphins aplenty, I can’t get enough. It’s my Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings. 

I grew up loathing PE, hating how I felt, and only going to the gym to be thin. It took reaching my early twenties and falling in love with outdoor swimming and of course, the beautiful game, to change this mindset.

I found myself no longer viewing exercise as a means of losing weight. I didn’t care so much what I looked like but how I felt and the fun I was having. 

This makes the focus on Tonic Weight Loss Clinic’s sponsorship of Birmingham City all the more upsetting.