WSL League Cup Draw Controversy: Did GK Barry Disrespect the Women's Game?
Image Credit: Charlotte Berman
The Subway League Cup quarter final draw on November 25th descended into chaos, proving once again that the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) continue to have a misguided approach in running the competition.
Streamed on Tiktok from a Subway outlet, GK Barry and her Portsmouth footballer girlfriend Ella Rutherford were tasked with presenting the quarter and semi-final draw for the League Cup, comprising Women's Super League (WSL) and Women's Super League 2 (WSL2) teams. Clipboards in hand, airpods visible, and sexual ‘ball’ related jokes right from the outset made it clear that the draw was going to take a different form to the official procedure that football fans are used to.
The draw included GK Barry making crude remarks, such as ‘even if you’re a lesbian order a footlong’, and other sexual innuendos. She was also seen ‘spanking’ herself with the bag of official numbered draw balls for what she deemed as ‘luck’. GK Barry later began to sing “what do we think of Tottenham?”, a derogatory chant typically used by rival fans. In complete disregard for official draw procedure, she was seen removing a ball from the bag and then replacing it. An official adjudicator present decided that the ball removed was the same one she took out again and allowed the draw to continue. Later, GK Barry asked what colour Liverpool played in, seemingly lacking knowledge of the sport she was chosen to represent.
Backlash to the draw quickly began on social media, with the WSL having to make an official apology to Tottenham, as clubs were said to be ‘furious’ about the proceedings. WSL teams have asked for the recording of the draw, to ensure that procedure was being followed as they deemed the process deeply ‘unprofessional’. In a sport already struggling to be taken seriously, with the misguided introduction of Sky Sports Halo only weeks before, and the continued sexist social media abuse towards women's football players, this controversy was another blow to the legitimacy of the women's game.
One must question, not GK Barry herself, but the League’s decision to use her tenuous footballing connection in such an official proceeding. Barry is a social media influencer and presenter, known for her personal, relatable and unfiltered dry humour, covering topics such as her personal life on her podcast, Saving Grace. To a fan of GK Barry, her behaviour during the draw was nothing out of the ordinary. Barry didn’t disrespect the game intentionally, but her media persona and humour were not suited for this role.
This decision, as part of a series of miscalculations that have threatened the legitimacy of the League Cup, only added to mounting fan concern. In the group stages of the competition, merely one game each round was broadcast, leaving fans unable to watch their teams play, alienating some supporters from the competition.
The decision to have GK Barry as the officiator seemed misguided considering her humour, especially as it’s hard to see an audience moving from this 10-minute live stream of a draw to watching 90 minutes of football. It may increase awareness of the competition, but will it increase any meaningful viewership of the football itself? Having the semi and quarter-finals drawn solely on TikTok, restricted through account access, was also a choice that excluded a large section of the fanbase. If the WPLL wanted to grow the competition, having the draw on a streaming service, or across social platforms would have garnered a greater audience reach.
The Subway Women's League Cup draw has been branded an ‘absolute mockery’ to the women's game, and the WPLL only have themselves to blame.