Lincoln Academic Supports Premier League Club’s Work to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls

Dr. Lyndsey Harris has been at the forefront of an impactful collaboration with Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Dr. Harris, Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Lincoln, UK and Chair of the Wolves’ Equality Advisory Board (EAG), has worked with the club in implementing a number of initiatives as part of their commitment to eliminating violence against women and girls.

In a significant stride towards fostering awareness, Dr. Harris delivered a domestic abuse workshop at the club’s Compton Training ground. Attended by the club’s Under-21 players, the session delved into alarming statistics surrounding male violence against women and culminated in the players signing the White Ribbon Promise – an affirmation to never use, excuse, or remain silent about such violence.

The impact of this workshop, coupled with knowledge exchange through Dr. Harris’s role on the EAG, has spurred Wolves into a commitment to a comprehensive program addressing violence against women and girls.

This led to the first team match against Nottingham Forest on December 9, being designated as the club’s #OrangeWolves fixture. The #OrangeWolves campaign is the city of Wolverhampton’s contribution to the United Nations 16 Days of Activism, which calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

The #OrangeWolves fixture allowed the club to show their commitment to eradicating violence against women and provided an opportunity to raise awareness, with Dr. Harris authoring a section in the matchday programme.

In her program notes for the fixture, which was attended by 31,543 fans, Dr. Harris discussed the club’s decision to support the initiative, the EAG’s commitment to ensuring Wolves is a safe space for all, and why challenging gender inequality is a great place to start, pointing to the scientific link between it and the escalation and existence of violence against women.

Dr. Harris also highlighted the importance of challenging discriminatory language and behavior, showcasing the connection between normalised victim-blaming culture and the reluctance of victims to seek help.

Reflecting on the collaboration, Dr Harris said: “It is fantastic to see how responsive and proactive Wolverhampton Wanderers have been in their commitment to awareness raising and challenging violence against women and girls. Encouraging men to be allies and to speak out is important as it moves the onus away from women having to keep themselves safe.”

Zoe Brough, HR Director at Wolves, added: “We’ve really enjoyed collaborating with Dr Harris on what is such an important subject matter. From this starting point we can only grow and progress positively with education, awareness and support to our staff and players, community and fan base.”

The University’s work with Wolverhampton Wanderers has also been continued by a recent panel discussion organised by its Eleanor Glanville Institute and Lincolnshire Women and Girls Research Network. The online session hosted titled Change the Story: How Can Football Tackle the Elimination of Violence Against Women? saw a number of panelists, including Zoe Brough; Head of West Midlands Police Football Unit, Police Sergeant Lizzie Lewandowski; Dr Mistrelle Ellmore, ‘Girls to Women in Sports Science’ Network Lead, University of Lincoln; Professor Stacey Pope, Durham University; and Dr. Harris discussing their experiences of researching and working in football and what the industry can and should be doing to address gender-based violence.