Kicking Off

Book excerpt: There's a battle being fought. It's raging on the sports fields, in the newsrooms and behind the scenes at every major broadcaster. Women in sport are fighting for equality with more vigour than ever, but are they breaking down the barriers that stand in their way? Sarah Shephard looks behind the headlines to see whether progress is really being made and tells the stories that can no longer be ignored. It's time for women to switch their focus from the battlefield to the sports field, once and for all. This candid and revealing book asks the questions at the forefront of the debate about women in sport: · Why do the most successful female athletes earn less than their male counterparts? · Why do so few elite sportswomen have the profile their talent deserves? · Why are girls still growing up believing that sport is 'for boys'? With contributions from women involved in sport at the highest level, including Chrissie Wellington, Maggie Alphonsi, Kelly Smith and Nicole Cooke, who reveal their personal experiences of being at the top of their game.