SPORT: 50% drop in female footballers

Extended interviews with 3 local players

It's International Women's Day. (8 March)

Through the ages, there's no doubting the strides countless women and girls have made in the world of sport but there's still an imbalance on a global level in terms of pay, coverage, and perception that cannot go unnoticed.

But what about on a local level?

In football, there's been a fifty percent drop in the number of women playing football in the Isle of Man.

Teams in the Manx Women's League have fallen from 12 to 6 over recent years and there seems to be a running hunch between players, coaches, and managers about what's causing it:

So what do we need to do to change this?

Rhian Evans spoke to Nicki Naden, Jade Burden, and Kym Hicklin about the struggles facing women in the local football scene.

Nicki is a triple threat - player, coach, and manager. She had stepped back from playing but has now dusted off her football boots once again to make up for the lack of numbers:

Jade is an exception to the trend of young players losing interest, she's been playing football since she was six-years-old.

She told Rhian how she made it through the cracks:

Jade also spent time playing football in Tenerife, where she says there's a more prominent focus on gender equality in the sport:

Another stalwart of the beautiful game is Kym.

Rhian asked her if she thought there was complete gender equality in football on the Island:

If you would like to get involved in football, you can find out more information on the IOM FA Women's and Girl's Football Facebook page.