Ahead of a major club season return, two pundits joined forces with a well known sponsor to spotlight how gender bias affects women in football beyond the pitch.
The arrangement involved Gary Neville and Jill Scott, a legend of the England women’s team and a Member of the Order of the British Empire, who swapped social media accounts for five days at the end of the previous season in a carefully staged project. This covert collaboration, named Social Exchange, was designed to expose the prejudice many women face online simply for being part of the sport.
In partnership with Heineken, the swap aimed to reveal the tone and content of online interactions directed at female players, fans, and commentators. The results were striking: women’s football on social media was a markedly more toxic environment, and the toxicity appeared less about what was said and more about who was speaking.
Jill Scott, who has made 161 appearances for the England women’s team, stands among the most capped players in the history of the national side. Her profile in the sport and in the UK is exceptionally high, which amplified the visibility of the experiment. Notably, after the account swap, the messages received on Scott’s channel were five times more likely to be sexist compared with Neville’s account, which Scott managed on his end. The examples shown in public demonstrations offered just a glimpse of a broader pattern.
Scott remarked that while progress has occurred, female fans, commentators, and players still endure significantly more negativity online due to persistent gender bias. The experience, he suggested, hardens resolve in the fight against prejudice, but should never be necessary. He urged that everyone, regardless of gender, should be free to enjoy football without fear of abuse.
Neville, who spent his professional career at Manchester United and retired in 2011, has long known the sting of public criticism. The Heineken initiative opened his eyes to the unwarranted insults many female fans encounter online. He acknowledged that heated debates and rivalries can fuel the sport, but distinguished these from abuse based on gender, which follows a different, uglier rule when it emerges from behind a screen.
Neville described stepping into Jill’s shoes and reading the reactions as a powerful reminder of the sport’s accessibility for all. His takeaway was clear: respect is a must, both on the field and online, across every identity that people bring to the game.
Following the experiment, Heineken renewed its commitment to equal exposure for the men’s and women’s editions of the UEFA Champions League and broadened its Social Exchange program with an explicit aim to root out gender bias from football culture.
Executive statements from Heineken emphasized a belief in inclusion and responsibility within football communities. The global brand director stressed that the partnership would leverageAI moderated tools to reduce online negativity and encourage healthier dialogue among fans. The goal is to make this season about football while making the online space safer for everyone.
In addition to the social initiative, the project highlighted practical tools designed to curb abuse. Heineken announced access to a moderation platform powered by advanced AI that can help fans filter out unwanted comments and spam across social networks. The company indicated that such tools would be tested as part of the broader effort to support constructive and respectful online engagement.
On the pitch, the women’s game delivered a dramatic moment as Barcelona and Wolfsburg contested the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in the Netherlands, with Barcelona overturning a two goal deficit to triumph 3-2. The group stage for the next edition of the UWCL and the men’s Champions League schedule are advancing, with matches set to begin in the fall.
Source: Goal [Goal]