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To: Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Ofcom/The Football Association

Broadcast equality for England's women national football team

Revise the Ofcom Code on Sport and Other Listed and Designated Events to include England's women national team as part of the Category A sporting events, entitling them, under law, to free-to-air broadcast coverage of every game they play, as with the men's national team.

Why is this important?

Following the overwhelming success of England’s women at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada last year – with semi-final viewing figures peaking at 2.4 million on the BBC despite an 11pm kick-off, and with the third-place playoff victory against Germany drawing a peak of 2.5 million viewers despite a 10pm kick-off – it's time that our women get equal broadcast coverage on free-to-air television as their male counterparts. Given that the women took England to their highest finish in a World Cup competition since the men won in 1966, we should be celebrating their sporting achievement, and the massive rise in popularity in women's football, both professional and at grassroots level, over the past decade.

England

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Updates

2016-04-28 18:02:20 +0100

The latest reply to my original letter is available below. The blog also contains copies of all the responses received so far.
https://anoccasionalgoodidea.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/update-9-inequality-television-and-the-england-womens-national-team/

2016-04-26 11:35:39 +0100

100 signatures reached

2016-04-12 18:06:42 +0100

50 signatures reached

2016-04-08 19:42:08 +0100

25 signatures reached

2016-04-07 07:42:26 +0100

10 signatures reached