England star Chloe Kelly believes it’s “not surprising” that her achievements will be cast into doubt due to her gender.
The Manchester City winger seized headlines in the summer when her converted penalty kick against Nigeria not only fired England through to the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals but smashed records for its sheer pace and venom. Indeed, Kelly’s shot reached 110.79km/h (69mph) – a speed that beats the most powerful strike of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, by West Ham ’s Saïd Benrahma, that clocked in at 107.2km/h (66.6mph).
Despite the adulations which poured in the way of Kelly, who was also supplied England’s game-winner against Germany in the Euro2022 final the summer before, a number of detractors questioned the veracity of the statistic, with only one in six people in the UK believing the speed to be recorded by a woman.
“It's obviously disappointing, but I can’t say it’s surprising,” said Kelly, whose penalty kick has been immortalised in a towering 2,774 square-foot mural in Manchester courtesy of a new campaign from Doritos, For the Bold in Everyone’, which aims to ‘crunch’ stereotypes in sport and beyond.
“After the tournament, we saw a lot of videos of people trying to recreate the penalty and match the speed of my kick. It’s crazy that our achievements are still doubted as women, people forget that we are professional athletes who train our bodies day in and day out. However, we’re changing the game for the better by doing our best on the pitch and smashing people's preconceptions.
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The bemusement at Kelly’s achievement is in keeping with the biases still entrenched within sporting culture. Indeed, despite huge progress being made for female athletes, women still don’t get the same recognition as their male counterparts with currently only three of the 240 public statues of sportspeople across the UK recognise female athletes.
Kelly believes her mural not only represents a step in the right direction but shines a light on the character required to break down those stereotypes.
“To hit those heights and put that power behind my penalty was a result of me going out there and being my boldest self. I’m proud to say that I’ve never let any stereotypes around women's football stand in my way, so I am pleased that it has been recognised by Doritos in the form of this mural.”
(James Speakman/PA Wire)The recent triumphs of the Lionesses, helped by Kelly, has ignited exponential growth of women’s football around the world, but particularly within the UK.
Indeed, new research found that the WSL recorded the greatest internet search growth worldwide for global sports leagues and competitions in 2023 while the Lionesses were also honoured with their very own Overground line leading to Wembley due to their 2022 triumphs. Meanwhile, research from Doritos claims almost a quarter (23%) of UK adults want female athletes to be celebrated more.
"I think the game as a whole is heading in the right direction," Kelly said. "I think our success has helped generate change, for me the record attendance at women’s football games is one thing that sticks out and demonstrates positive change. The growth in women’s football is really exciting and for women’s sport in general, we are heading in the right direction but we can’t take our foot off the gas, we need to keep moving forward and changing people’s mindsets. There is still a lot to be done."
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