Jill Scott Isn't Giving Any Airtime To Sexist Commentary About Women's Football
Jill Scott is no stranger to success. Making her debut for the England national team back in 2006 at just 19 years old, she went on to play for her hometown team Sunderland before subsequent ground-breaking seasons at Everton, Manchester City, Aston Villa and of course, England. With over 150 caps for the Lionesses, and her final game for the team being a victorious final at the 2022 Euros, it seems that happy ending manifested into what is so far, a very successful retirement period.
Since hanging up her boots (bar an appearance at Sunday night's Soccer Aid game), Scott has been awarded an MBE in 2020 and crowned Queen of the Jungle on ITVs I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!. She has even become a trained barista (more on that below).
The day before she spoke to ELLE UK, she watched her beloved ex-Lionesses take on France before jetting back to the capital for the UCL Champions League final. We caught up with the former Lioness footballer backstage for before kick off at Wembley Stadium.
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How are you feeling about the Lionesses failing to make the Olympics?
'That was really difficult. I watched that last game – it was neck and neck. We were looking at the Netherlands result, they had to make up the goals, and then you’re watching England. It was so painfully close. But, the girls have had a really busy period with the World Cup, I think it was probably a little bit of tiredness. The game is now at such a high level with such fine margins between qualifying and not getting through.
'We wanted the game to be more competitive, and it's good that we're at this stage. Saying that, I was devastated for them because the Olympics is such a great spectacle for sport and to be surrounded by all these amazing different athletes. But – we all know that they will bounce back, and it's off the back of what's been such an incredible time for them. One of the hardest things to do is be successful, and then maintain that success. Whether it's men's football or women's football, I think when you win and then keep winning, you set that bar and everybody's after you. They’ll come back stronger than ever, I’m sure.'
How are you feeling about Steph Houghton heading for retirement?
'I've spoken to her a few times. We grew up and played together since we were eight and nine years old. I didn't know she was going to retire, but I'm excited for her. I've personally really enjoyed retirement, and I'm sure she will, too. She can do whatever she wants! I think she could be a great coach, a brilliant pundit. She should take some well-earned time to figure out what she wants. She has had such a fantastic career - I'm sure she'll definitely enjoy this next chapter.'
Speaking of the next chapter – is coaching something you would ever consider?
'Yes! I do enjoy coaching. I think since I've retired, my life has gone in a different direction, and it’s one that I'm extremely grateful for. I’m open to anything, and so far, I’ve taken part in some fantastic shows and punditry. Today I’m working with Heineken for their “Cheers to the Real Hardcore fans” campaign. It’s something I genuinely believe in; changing people's perception of what a hardcore football fan looks like. A fan can be any gender, any race. It might just be someone that wants to travel the world following their favourite team.
'I would never want anyone to think, “I'm not going to go to that football match because I don’t feel safe within that environment,” or that they don't feel like it includes people like themselves for any reason. When you're at games like this, sometimes you expect trouble, but it’s such a good atmosphere today. There’s so much passion, which shows you can be a hardcore fan, but it doesn't have to be resulting in violence. Trying to change that narrative is a really positive thing, and in my next chapter I want to keep putting my name to things that help people and might make a difference in society. That’s important to me.'
In the last year we’ve heard controversial comments made by Kevin Keegan and Joey Barton about women in football - what are your thoughts on the ongoing conversation in the game with sexism?
'I try not to give any energy to it – I think the more energy you give, the more it fuels the fire. I've been working with a lot of the male footballers these past couple of years; I've done League of their Own with Jamie Redknapp, I've done The Overlap with Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Gary Neville. Sometimes we can focus on one person being negative, but these guys are a few of the many people out there who are respectful of the women's game and really drive it.
'When I was working with Heineken last year, we did a campaign called Social Swap where Gary Neville posted his tweets through my account, and I posted tweets through his. Gary, via my account, got a lot of sexist comments like “you can tell you're a woman, get back in the kitchen”, and little did those people know, because they couldn't see a face behind the tweet, that it was Gary. It was eye opening. I am open to receive criticism - that's football, it happens all the time. But I think for women in this sport, they have to overcome sexism before they are taken seriously as athletes. We have to keep fighting for equality.'
What do you think the game has done for the LGBTQ+ community, and how do you think that we can keep that positive conversation going?
'It’s a universal game, and it prides itself on inclusivity. We need everybody to feel welcome. It still blows my mind now that people think that when you say LGBTQ that it is a problem. If people have an issue with that, I think they've all got an issue with themselves. I'll openly say I've got a partner that's female and then my friend might have a husband or whatever. That doesn’t bother me. And you know what? As long as you're happy, who really cares.
'Life is too short. I'm always just trying to drive that fact - be with who you want to be with. There’s a lot of very unhappy things going on in the world right now, and if you can be in control of your happiness, then that’s a really beautiful thing.'
Speaking of being happy, what do you do in your spare time? How do you find your happiness?
'Since retirement, life has been totally different for me. I have had to adjust to this work/life balance, which feels quite strange! But I’m very much a person of simple pleasures. I own a coffee shop in Manchester with my partner Shelly and will sometimes work there. I love people, really - chatting to locals makes me happy. As long as I get that fix of seeing family and friends, I’m good.'
What do you think is next in store for female football, and the fans as well?
'I think to keep going how it's going. The Lionesses game yesterday was a great atmosphere – it really excites me to see how far the game has come. Arsenal’s Womens team have just announced that they're going to play 11 games at the Emirates, which is fantastic. They get 50,000 people there in the stands. But saying all this, I think we need to get to the point where I'm probably not answering questions like this, to be honest. There's always room for improvement, but we are definitely on the right track. I do think, “you know what? Look how far it’s come.”
'If you told me when I started playing the sport at 18 years old that the game would be where it is now, nearly 20 years later, I would never have believed you. So what will the next 20 years look like? I can’t wait to find out.'
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