Karen Carney exposes the ‘fundamentally problematic’ issues that still haunt women’s football

The Lioness legend dives into the issues facing the female game in the new ITV documentary ‘Karen Carney: The State of It’

In the new ITV documentary ‘Karen Carney: The State of It,’ the Lioness legend dives into the issues facing the female game, along with the positives that could still shape its future. Ahead of its release, Carney sat down with FootballJOE to reveal what she discovered.

“It kept making me quite emotional. It was good to keep educating even the camera crew that came along.” That was Carney’s initial response to making the documentary, as the former midfielder battled with the reality that the degradation the women's game still faces often fails to capture mainstream attention.

Just take the near collapse of Reading FC Women this summer due to financial mismanagement of the men's teams. Or Manchester United’s decision to kick the women’s team out of their training ground to accommodate the men’s side during renovations to their own facilities. In the documentary, Sir Jim Ratcliffe barely hides who he considers his priority.

As one contributor puts it:

“women’s football being dependent on the men's game is fundamentally problematic.” And Carney agrees, saying certain institutions still demonstrate “a lack of duty of care” when it comes to respecting the women’s game. 

This reveals the dangers of having a Women's Super League where every team is now affiliated with male Premier League outfits, unlike in the Championship where Durham and London City Lionesses operate independently.  

But that’s not to say Carney isn’t still optimistic a balance can be struck. “It doesn’t matter what business model you have, whether you are affiliated or not affiliated, you want to see them all being successful in their own individual way.”

Brighton is one club she references as a team “doing things right.” With ambitions of building a stadium specifically for the women’s side, they are pushing towards fulfilling Carney’s vision where clubs provide top class standards and facilities for female athletes ‘at a minimum.’

Carney points out how easy it is to forget how football facilities across the country fail to properly accommodate females, from matters as simple as a lack of suitable toilet cubicles. Slowly but surely, the game is waking up and making changes. In her words: “we still have much more to do to be at the gold standards I want, but we are moving in the right direction.”

Of course, money will play a part in dictating the success of professional women’s football. And the case of Reading Women’s cruelly highlights how precarious it can be for the female game amid the commercial pressures of modern football.

However, Carney is bullish on this topic, pointing to companies like Xero and Barclays who are leading the way when it comes to showing the many benefits that come with backing the women’s game. 

“They just get it,” she says. “51% of the population is women, it makes complete sense to view investing in women’s football as not just a charitable or corporate responsibility, but as a central part of their strategy. We can see the importance of creating female role models.”

The numbers back up Carney’s opinion too. Over 1 million people visited a WSL or Championship game in 2023/24, while over 17 million watched England beat Germany to win Euro 2022. Sky Sports and the BBC also recently agreed to pay a record £65m for WSL and Championship TV rights over the next 5 years, ploughing even more investment into the sport.

As Carney puts it: “you can see how good the talent is, how good the product is and it’s only going to keep improving.”

Having female role models in football is something Carney admits she lacked growing up. But now, the 144 capped England international joins the likes of Jill Scott and Alex Scott in making regular TV punditry appearances. This alongside the current generation of Lionesses that have become household names, from Leah Williamson to Mary Earps. It all points towards a sport brimming with potential and opportunity for both men and women.  

“I just want The State of It to inspire and educate,” finishes Carney. On this, she more than fulfilled her task. The documentary is an excellent exposé not of what should, but what must be done to keep the women’s game moving forward.  

Watch Karen Carney: The State Of IT on Saturday 30th November, ITV1, 11pm.