All through life, I seek, and find, inspiration. This involves anything from looking out of the window, to reading a book, to listening to someone speak with passion and determination. This last week or so though my inspiration has come from a fabulous song written by singer / songwriter Sharon Martin.
“GIRL” is beautiful, and the Scottish Women’s Football board has adopted it and its “you can be anything you believe you can be” message as their official anthem. I’ve been working with them over the last few weeks on creating an inspiring video to accompany the track.
The final day of filming took place on Saturday.
As well as filming a football flash mob in the city centre (in the pouring rain and howling wind) with the captains of the SWPL, a bagpipe band and some amazing volunteers including our “GIRL” Scarlett McCafferty and sandwich board man Aaron Connolly, we shot scenes with the girls at various locations in Glasgow, all sites of significance in the context of formidable (and often forgotten, or never even remembered!) women of history. You can find out more about these powerful women by going on one of the Women’s Heritage Walks organised by the incredible (inspiring) people at the Women’s Library in Glasgow. The sites celebrate the lives, histories and achievements of women.
I’ve always found inspiration in strong women and I’ve always endeavoured to ensure that the female voice is heard and not hidden from history as has so often been the case in the past. My undergraduate and post-graduate theses both focus on women who have battled to overcome adversity and sought to ensure their voice was being heard in the sporting and broadcast arenas.
Gradually, bit by bit, women in sport are being recognised but there is a LONG way to go. The “GIRL” anthem will hopefully inspire women and girls to believe in themselves whilst encouraging the media, and of course men too, to believe in our right to have a voice and enjoy a presence on an equal footing in life. If you think about it, it’s not exactly too much to ask! (For more on gender (in)equality in football read this powerful article by Kat Lindner)
And these wonderful footballers deserve the loudest voice we can muster on their behalf. Scotland’s female footballers are incredible. They train hard, work hard and don’t enjoy the lucrative financial packages of their male counterparts. They are role models of the best kind. They inspire, engage and embrace one another’s determination to succeed with the kind of passion that has the capacity to deliver on the key message…
“Girl, you’ve got to hold your head up high
Don’t let this moment pass you by
You can be, anything you believe you can be”
I’m in edit with the film at the moment and the SWPL will be launching the song and the video soon so keep an eye out for it. The video will deliver inspiration and some well-kent faces (celebrity!), all instrumental role models who have gladly offered their support to an amazing anthem and the women and girls of Scottish football.
“Feminism is an energy” after all so use it proudly and loudly!
And don’t forget to use the #GOGIRL hashtag. It’s a collective voice and that’s empowering too.
Margot McCuaig 