Female Derby County fans push back against sexism in the Pride Park stands

Amelia Warren said every club had idiots among its fans

Female Derby County fans have hit back at a claim they were responsible for a poor atmosphere inside Pride Park.

A tweet by a male supporter suggested women in the stadium's South Stand were "glued" to their phones during a recent match and should "stay home."

Other fans, both male and female, condemned the view as an example of sexism which persists among some supporters.

BBC Radio Derby spoke to female Rams supporters about the the issue.

'Not helpful'

Derby County said there was no room for discrimination at the club

Rams fan Amelia Warren, 19, said: "You are going to get people who are idiots and every club will have that in their fan base but one of the things Derby is proud of is that we have a very diverse club and a strong female following.

"To have an individual come and try to jeopardise that and give us a bad name publicly is not what anybody wants to see.

"We have to stand up to that. It is ridiculous and it upsets people."

She added: "Children, men, women - everyone - contributes to the atmosphere in the South Stand.

"We are all to following the club for the same reasons - to get behind the team.

"It's okay to complain the atmosphere occasionally goes flat and be frustrated about that but to blame it on a specific group of people and precisely female people is ridiculous.

"It's not really helpful."

'It has brought a lot of us together'

Emily Webster said she had been shocked by the tweet

Emily Webster, who has been going to Pride Park for 18 years, said: "I have had the typical comments like 'You can't like football because you're a girl' or 'If you like football as much as you say you do, describe and explain the offside rule'."

She said two decades ago, such comments had probably been a sign of the times.

"But I could believe it to hear it recently. It's shocking," she said.

"Men and women don't watch football for a different reason. We watch it simply because we want to watch it."

Despite the tweet, Ms Webster said she was still proud to be a Derby fan.

She added: "That tweet... has actually bought a lot of us together and there's nothing that could change the way I feel about being a Derby fan."

'Sad and baffling'

Carolyn Hulbert said her experiences following Derby had been mainly positive

Carolyn Hulbert has been going to Derby matches for nine years and said: "It's absolutely crazy. You just wouldn't expect anything like that in 2023. There are so many female Derby fans.

"I don't know why they think women are part of the problem of a lack of atmosphere.

"The person who tweeted it may have sisters and daughters themselves and putting that message out there in this day and age is absolutely crazy.

"Maybe they put it out there to start a bit of drama but surely they can't be serious about it.

"It's sad and baffling.

"I think its a minority who think like this and my personal experiences of being a Derby fan have been positive.

"Some people just spread negativity."

A Derby County spokesperson said: "We welcome every fan to Pride Park Stadium and are proud of the magnificent support the club receives.

"There is no room for discrimination of any kind and no single, defined way to support the team, unless it breaches the code of unacceptable behaviour."