Players in a York girls football club are standing up against harassment after being accused of cheating - because some have short hair.

Friday, 7 February 2025 12:54

By Alice Kavanagh

Footballers, parents and coaches from York Railway Institute AFC U12 team have launched an anti-harassment campaign after multiple incidents in which girls were accused of cheating by ‘being boys’ on account of their short hair.

The incidents, which club members say have happened repeatedly since the team formed as the U10s, has seen grown adults – parents and coaches – target players with short hair and demand play is stopped.

Wendy Topham, whose daughter Flo plays for the club and has been subject to abuse on multiple occasion, came up with the idea to make t-shirts after speaking to fellow parents.

Emblazoned with the motto - "girls can have short hair - get over it" – the team have taken to wearing the shirts for warm-ups to get their message across without singling out any individual.

Wendy said: “It’s made Cami and Flo feel a lot more confident knowing they’re all together as a team and the other team cannot have missed the message on the shirt.

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