Grain Stories: Karen Dobres on why Lewes FC is championing a global movement
Grain Stories is a new online feature where we put a spotlight on the people, places and tales linked to The Grain Store and our home in East Sussex. From inspirational stories in the community to diving into the rich history of the South Downs Way, we want to celebrate this beautiful corner of the world and the people that make it special.
For our inaugural Grain Stories blog we talk to Karen Dobres, Co-Director of Lewes Football Club, the only football club in the world to pay women and men the same. We discuss Karen’s story, why she believes in the power of equality and what it means to be part of the East Sussex community.
An introduction to inequality
Inequality and unfairness in society is something Karen has been aware of from a young age, having been the ethnic minority at her school and later spending a year as a non-native speaker in Germany.
“None of these things are terrible, but I do know what it's like to feel on the outside,” she confirms.
Like many women, these feelings were compounded when she reached the workplace. She refers to the #metoo movement which has demonstrated how common everyday sexism has become for many on the wrong side of gender power.
Growing up, Karen said sport was not something she was particularly interested in or encouraged towards. Even when she met her husband, a South End season ticket holder, she would somewhat reluctantly accompany him to matches. She remembers a surprise trip to Wembley Stadium, where she was being taken to see England Vs USA and to her disappointment, not Madonna.
“I was disappointed because it wasn’t a place for women,” she reveals. “There were lots of men getting very worked up around me and shouting things at the field. And it felt it felt demeaning to me. And it felt like I wasn't included in this conversation. So I switched off.”
A second chance for the beautiful game
It was years later in 2017 when Karen moved to Lewes, East Sussex, where she now lives with her family, that she was reintroduced to football. Her husband had told her that Lewes FC was planning on paying the women’s team the same as the men’s, which sparked her interest.
She recalls: “I said to him ‘you mean the women play football?’ That's how much of a sexist I was. I really didn't even know that there was a women's team. I'd always thought football was a man's game. And it made me wake up to myself and my attitudes. And this is really symptomatic of my own social conditioning.”
It was then, Karen decided to go and watch her fellow females play a game down at The Dripping Pan, home to Lewes FC.
“I saw these young women between the ages of about 17 and 30. They were sweating, running, strong eyes on the ball, playing in a team, not giving a damn about what they look like. And trying desperately to win. Using their bodies in this really purposeful, dynamic way,” she explains.
It was that display of confidence that made Karen recognise these women as great role models and the sort of women she wanted to put a spotlight on for her own - then teenage - daughter. She refers to this as her “epiphany”, the moment that led her to “roll up her sleeves” and join the equality movement.
Getting on the attack
Karen says her first reaction was that she just needed to tell people about it - to spread the word. To let everyone know the things she’d learned - like the fact that some players in England’s Pro team The Lionesses “can’t even afford a cappuccino”. Or that the US women's team, which has won more games than the men’s, is taking their own Federation to court over pay.
However, despite the compelling insights, the more she began to immerse herself in the world of football, the more she realised she was in for a tough fight. In order to challenge the stigma linked to paying men and women the same, they first needed to attract people to the matches in the first place.
“The criticism that the club got was that you can't pay women the same because no one likes women's football, and the crowds don't come. And that was true.”
At the time (2017), Lewes FC Men would attract about 400 to 500 spectators per match, whereas Lewes FC Women would garner about 120 viewers.
Her strategy was to get the message out far and wide. She began talking to contacts, women’s groups and inviting local press to matches. With other board members, they also tried to make the match experience more appealing, which included a poorly received trial of an on-site nail bar followed by a more successful vegan pie stand and on tap prosecco. The aim was to create a sense of inclusion and connection. And it worked.
Two seasons later, Lewes FC now has about 580 people coming to the women's matches, which is closely aligned to the men’s games at 600 in comparison.
In recognition of the Club’s achievements, last year Lewes FC won an award from UN Women UK for being inspirational in the field of gender equality.
A global movement spreading from Lewes
While there are a few national teams like Norway, South Africa, and New Zealand that pay their women’s and men’s teams the same, Lewes FC remains the only Pro or Semi-Pro team in the world to offer equal pay.
With that in mind, Karen is determined more than ever to get Lewes FC on the world stage as an exemplary club.
The first tactic is to create a movement via ownership - to attract club donors from all over the world who can help to champion the cause. At only £40 per year, it’s an appealing proposition. The second tactic is to draw on the power of local supporters and the Lewes community spirit in order to “create actions that vibrate around the world”.
Karen adds: “We've got to think glocal (global and local). If the Coronavirus pandemic is teaching us anything, it is how connected we all are.”
And if there’s one topic that people can connect on as common ground, it’s football, says Karen. She believes football can serve as a common language to challenge other toxic behaviour such as sexism, racism, homophobic attitudes and any type of discrimination
“Sport is a huge index of meaning and value to so many people,” she comments. “If you think about football in particular, there are nearly 4 billion football fans around the world who live and breathe football and it has an incredible influence over their hearts and minds. So if we can use football to influence a more equal society in terms of gender, race and all of these things, then we will have been using it for good.”
Listen to the full interview
Karen talks with The Grain Store Founder Anni Townend about her passion for gender equality and social justice, and how the most popular sport in the world can change the way in which girls, boys, women and men are seen in society.
About Lewes FC
Founded in 1885, Lewes FC is currently a member of the Isthmian League Premier Division. Their teams known as ‘The Rooks’ have played at the Dripping Pan in Lewes since the club was founded. They are a groundbreaking club in that they are the only football club in the world to pay male and female players the same. They are also 100% community owned by shareholders with an elected Board of Directors. They pride themselves on being a “campaigning club, using football as a vehicle for social change,” says Karen.
Visit the website: lewesfc.com
About Grain Stories
Grain Stories is a new online feature where we put a spotlight on the people, places and tales linked to The Grain Store and our home in East Sussex. From inspirational stories in the community to diving into the rich history of the South Downs Way, we want to celebrate this beautiful corner of the world and the people that make it special.
+44 (0)1273 713 339
business@thegrainstorelewes.com
Interview by Anni Townend | Write up by Katherine Murphy
