There will be a Sydney Swans AFLW team in the 2022-23 season

[neilfws]

Looks like most of the boys turned out (can't see Paddy though?)

I feel I should clarify that I only mentioned "missing" players out of concern for their availability, in case they might be ill or injured. Not questioning their commitment to supporting the AFLW team.

Greatly looking forward to supporting more Swans in the coming months!

[Maltopia]

Mum's the word: The Guldens join forces at Sydney

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[liz]

I do wish people would stop referring to "the girls". Both Guldens do it in that video, and I think I've heard Harley do so too. They are women, not girls.

[Industrial Fan]

Is that not offset by the normal team being referred to as boys?

[Bloods05]

Is that not offset by the normal team being referred to as boys?

Which happens all the time, and nobody ever has a problem with it.

But it's the men's team, not the "normal" team.

[Industrial Fan]

????

Was deliberately avoiding using the term mens to make my point.

[liz]

I acknowledge that players sometimes refer to each other as "the boys". But in that clip, Errol never uses the term "boys". He refers to the "men's team" a couple of times. And then the "girls". I guess I just find it a little patronising.

[Meg]

I acknowledge that players sometimes refer to each other as "the boys". But in that clip, Errol never uses the term "boys". He refers to the "men's team" a couple of times. And then the "girls". I guess I just find it a little patronising.

+1

(though I would delete ‘a little’).

[Goal Sneak]

I noticed Bronwyn refers to them as the girls throughout the interview. People more often than not refer to the boys and the girls when talking about them as a general collective.

It wasn't meant in a derogatory or patronising manner, I feel it's being a little over-sensitive to say otherwise.

[liz]

I noticed Bronwyn refers to them as the girls throughout the interview. People more often than not refer to the boys and the girls when talking about them as a general collective.

It wasn't meant in a derogatory or patronising manner, I feel it's being a little over-sensitive to say otherwise.

What I said was that I found the language a little patronising. I chose my words carefully. I didn't accuse the speakers of being patronising (subtle distinction) and I qualified my adjective in the knowledge that there was likely no intent. I didn't express outrage, or lay out my plans to take the dog and march down Driver Avenue in protest.

Bronwyn has just transitioned from coaching actual girls in the academy, and all the players she is working with now are young enough to be her daughters. So the language doesn't feel so awkward coming from her. It seems more incongruous coming from Errol, given he's a just-turned-twenty-year old who refers to his own team as men. But yes, I get that he is picking up the language from those around him, including his mother.

I merely expressed a hope that we (the football community) can find a way to start referring to the players more often as women. Language does have (sometimes subtle) impacts and I think there's room for pointing that out. It's not being "over-sensitive".

[Maltopia]

I noticed Bronwyn refers to them as the girls throughout the interview. People more often than not refer to the boys and the girls when talking about them as a general collective.

It wasn't meant in a derogatory or patronising manner, I feel it's being a little over-sensitive to say otherwise.

In today's culture, it is overwhelmingly more and more up to the recipient to decide whether a comment is racist, ableist, sexist, patronising etc., and it is worse for the speaker or others to deny the intent/impact of the statement, as you are then gaslighting or invalidating their experience. Women, or any other marginalised group should not have to defend their perception/experience.

If in this case, a woman says they find a comment to be patronising to their gender, then then men ought to listen to that statement and acknowledge the impact, as the men have not had decades and centuries of marginalisation and you just can't compare our experience with theirs.

As a man, I found the references to the girls jarring.

Women have been told forever that they are not as good as men in sport etc, so being referenced as the girls is 100% not equivalent to the men being referenced as the boys.

[Goal Sneak]

What I said was that I found the language a little patronising. I chose my words carefully. I didn't accuse the speakers of being patronising (subtle distinction) and I qualified my adjective in the knowledge that there was likely no intent. I didn't express outrage, or lay out my plans to take the dog and march down Driver Avenue in protest.

Bronwyn has just transitioned from coaching actual girls in the academy, and all the players she is working with now are young enough to be her daughters. So the language doesn't feel so awkward coming from her. It seems more incongruous coming from Errol, given he's a just-turned-twenty-year old who refers to his own team as men. But yes, I get that he is picking up the language from those around him, including his mother.

I merely expressed a hope that we (the football community) can find a way to start referring to the players more often as women. Language does have (sometimes subtle) impacts and I think there's room for pointing that out. It's not being "over-sensitive".

I agree about the subtle impacts attached to language. Different people will invariably interpret the same words in different ways. Personally, I have no issue when the men are referred to as "the boys" or the women as "the girls". It's quite common these days for language to be scrutinised beyond the intent of what has been said (seemingly something I may be a little over-sensitive about). For what it's worth, I can see you were not trying to go beyond the intent in this case.

In this case, for me, the context of the statement should be enough to settle any misgivings in how it was said. I do however agree that there is room to point these types of issues out without being labeled by the likes of myself!

I will admit that "over-sensitive" was not the best choice of language on my behalf.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I dislike the use of the term "boys" to describe a team of senior AFL players, if only because it seems so often to condone infantile behavior. So I was already strongly predisposed to disliking the term "girls."

[stevoswan]

I noticed Bronwyn refers to them as the girls throughout the interview. People more often than not refer to the boys and the girls when talking about them as a general collective.

It wasn't meant in a derogatory or patronising manner, I feel it's being a little over-sensitive to say otherwise.

+1

I came on here to put up the article about Mrs Gulden coaching....and all I find is people complaining that she used the term 'girls' (and even one complaining about the men being called boys )! Are some just looking for something to whinge about ? Girls/women, boys/men....who gives a @@@@? Let's just be happy that there is a 'womens' team at all.....and yes, it's about time.

Men are occasionally called boys and so too will women occasionally be called girls. Get used to it....there's nothing 'sinister' in it! Let's all move on and just enjoy the footy!

Oh and apologies if some choose to jump on this as 'mansplaining'! It's not....it's just my opinion.

[chalbilto]

+1

I came on here to put up the article about Mrs Gulden coaching....and all I find is people complaining that she used the term 'girls' (and even one complaining about the men being called boys )! Are some just looking for something to whinge about ? Girls/women, boys/men....who gives a @@@@? Let's just be happy that there is a 'womens' team at all.....and yes, it's about time.

Men are occasionally called boys and so too will women occasionally be called girls. Get used to it....there's nothing 'sinister' in it! Let's all move on and just enjoy the footy!

Oh and apologies if some choose to jump on this as 'mansplaining'! It's not....it's just my opinion.

+1 Well said. More important things to whinge about than the use of “boys” & “girls”.