 The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 3367, in the name of Jo Fitzpatrick, on sexism and football. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I would encourage members who wish to participate to press their request to speak buttons now or as soon as possible. I call on Jo Fitzpatrick to open the debate for around seven minutes. I am grateful to members from across the chamber for supporting this motion. I also want to pay tribute to the journalists Sophie Goodwin and Stephen Stewart for their investigation, which highlighted the serious issues that were encountered by female football players in Scotland. Let's start by laying out some of its shocking findings. 60 per cent of female respondents said that they have experienced sexism in football. Just 8 per cent of respondents said that they believed that football does not do enough to reduce discriminatory behaviour towards women. Those are findings that none of us should be willing to accept, and I am sure that members here this evening would agree. It is critical that we call out sexism, not just in football or sport, but in all walks of life. We should be under no illusion that sexism is a societal issue and not one that is only present in football. Sport has always provided a platform for unity and social justice, so I believe and hope that sport can be part of the solution not only to sexism but to other societal prejudices such as racism and sectarianism. Before I turn to the challenges in more detail, it is important to welcome the progress that has been made with women's football in Scotland. It is fantastic to see the interest in the women's game growing domestically and internationally. It is encouraging to see our women's national team now playing home games at Hamden. Just last week, it saw 7,804 fans attending Scotland's women's world cup qualifier with Spain, a record attendance for a competitive home game. I am sure that members across the chamber will join me in wishing the team every success in their remaining world cup qualifiers. I also want to mention some of the women's football teams in Dundee, such as Dundee United, Driver Athletics, Dundee City West and St James. They have enjoyed some significant success of late. Dundee United has been promoted from SWPL 2 and Driver Athletic 1 at the Championship Cup. Both huge achievements help to inspire greater participation. However, we must accept that the game and women in fact face barriers that exist for no other reason than because they are women. What steps can be taken to eradicate sexism in football? A big question is that there is definitely not just one simple answer to that. However, it is important that we recognise that each and every one of us needs to lead by example. People need to take personal responsibility and adjust their behaviour. I firmly believe that men specifically need to take responsibility and change their attitudes towards football and female participation. We need to call out misogyny and sexism wherever we see it. That may be on social media, it could be at football matches, it could be elsewhere in society. We all need to tackle it head on. However, it is important that we do it in a way that also calls in to be part of the solution. Most clubs, players and fans see the harm but do not know what to do, so we must work together across society to make progress on that issue. An individual football clubs also have a role to play. Everyone in the chamber will be familiar with the David Goodwilly transfer earlier this season, which led to Wraith Rover's women and girls team severing ties with the club and reforming as McDermott ladies. Incidences such as that undoubtedly heavily impact on female participation in sport. There was rightly widespread condemnation of this move, and the McDermott ladies have my full support, and I am sure that members across the chamber will agree. Sadly, the player in question then looked set to return to Clyde, which resulted in Clyde ladies' FC deciding to fold. Eileen Campbell, chief executive officer of Scottish Women's Football Express concern, calling into question the decision making that she said can see women sidelined on women's clubs or women's clubs treated as an afterthought. She also made what I think is a crucial point. Women's football is growing, but it is fragile. As she put it without meaningful support, investment and respect, women's football will never realise its full potential. I welcome the SFA's Accelerator Games strategy, which seeks to increase participation to more than 25,000 registered players by 2025. The ambition requires investment, and it requires women being in leadership roles. It means that football must be accessible for all equally. Representation is important in that, too. As it stands, women are significantly underrepresented on professional football club boards, and that is reflected in the boards of the SFA and SPFL. We need to do more to see more women in senior roles within football clubs. That would give a bigger voice to women's football, promote greater participation by women and girls, and help clubs to play their part in addressing sexism. We also need to see more progress to ensure that women are represented in the media, building on the success of Jane Lewis, Leanne Crichton, Joelle Murray, Gemma Fe and others, and ensure that broadcasters play their part, too, in showcasing women's football. 86 per cent of respondents to Sophie Goodwin and Stephen Stewart's investigations said that increasing media coverage of women's football would attract more people into the sport. If you cannot see it, you cannot be it. Representation and role models matter. There is one final point that I want to make, and that is the role that education can play. Scotland's women's team captain, Rachel Corsi, has said that she believes that the abusive behaviour is a wider reflection of our society and that the best way to stop such incidents is to continue to educate and call out any form of abuse. We have seen great work recently from campaigns such as Her Game 2, and Police Scotland's That Guy, campaigns that ignite a powerful conversation across Scotland, calling upon men to make a difference by taking a hard look at our attitudes and behaviour at home, at work and when socialising. We need to build on the success and momentum of campaigns like those. Specifically, I would like to see clubs across Scotland facilitate educational workshops to address the issue of sexism in football. Graham Golden, a former chief inspector and member of the Scottish Violence Production Unit, facilitates workshops that adopt a bystander approach. He has worked with a range of organisations and sports clubs to show how they can identify warning signs of unhealthy behaviours and empower them to use their leadership role to promote greater choice and change. I believe that a collaboration with Graham and Scottish Football Clubs could be incredibly fruitful and encourage football clubs to reach out to him to discuss how they can work together. I hope that the minister would agree to have a discussion with me about how perhaps the Scottish Government could help facilitate such an approach. I conclude by once more thanking members from across the chamber for supporting this motion and allowing us to have this debate today. By working together, I truly believe that we can tackle sexism and misogyny in football and in wider society. We all know the benefits of playing sport. It improves physical and mental health and tackles isolation and loneliness and boosts self-esteem. Those things should be available to everyone, regardless of gender, race or ability. I look forward to hearing colleagues' contributions and from the minister about the Scottish Government's work to tackle all forms of discrimination in sport and to increase female participation. I am grateful to be contributing to the member's business debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. I thank the member, Jo Fitzpatrick, for bringing this forward. For centuries, women have had to fight for recognition in every aspect of life and sport is no different. Women's participation in football can be traced as far back as the 17th century. Prior to its official recognition in 1971 by the Scottish Football Association, women's football had faced a formal ban largely due to the perception that the sport was too manly or that the sport was too dangerous and physically demanding for women. However, there has been progress thanks to the work of organisations such as Her Game 2 and local grass-roots teams. Women's football has seen record levels of participation, record attendancies at domestic and international level and record visibility. However, the statistics that are detailed in the motion by the member about sexism and abuse experienced by female players are concerning. Unfortunately, those outdated attitudes to women's participation in football still exist. In fact, as recently as last week, the Northern Ireland women's football boss made headlines when he said that second goals in women's football come so soon after first because women are more emotional. It is this language that damages women's football and undermines its credibility. However, how do we go about changing perceptions? A survey by the Scottish Football Supporters Association and Her Game 2 revealed that one in four female football fans have suffered misogynistic or as sexist abuse as Scottish football matches. 61 per cent witnessed online sexist abuse and 31 per cent experienced misogyny online. 12 per cent did not feel safe or even fairly safe while discussing men's football games in social settings, so women are being discouraged from following the support. Never mind participating, and we must tackle that first. In response to a survey conducted by Press and Journal, 74 per cent of cases reported by female respondents said that no action was taken. First and foremost, there is a need for clear reporting mechanisms and appropriate punishments for tackling abuse and misogyny. Secondly, more women should be on a part of decision-making bodies in women's football so that policies reflect women and girls. Last but not least, it requires stereotypes to be changed. That starts with empowering women and girls at a young age and ensuring that women's football is visible to girls as they grow up. A main operator in my region said that there is a stark difference in the uptake of girls' football between a more affluent area and a more deprived area, stating that fees, kits and boots can be a barrier to girls joining the sport, and stated the need for more funding. I therefore welcome the £2 million of funding from the UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Support, which will open up opportunities for increased participation for underprivileged and underrepresented demographics in Scotland, including girls' football, in conclusion. Sport is key to improving our physical and our mental health, and no one should be discouraged from that. Women should be able to pursue football both as a hobby or professionally without facing abuse, misogyny or sexism. I now call on Paul MacLennan to be followed by Emma Roddick for around four minutes. I thank my SNP colleague Jo Fitzpatrick for bringing this incredibly important debate to the chamber. On my life, I have been a follower of football. I support and, indeed, coached youth teams in my local team at Burnian. I coached professionally at Hibs for ten years. I witnessed the growth of girls in women's game in that time. I raised my son and daughter with the same enthusiasm for the game. My passion for the sport led me to completing my UEFA coaching qualifications. My son, Scott, coaches professionally in England, and my daughter, Kirsty, like me, is a season to get older out east of the road. As a lifelong fan, I have witnessed and felt like there is a lot of joy, as well as the overwhelming dismay that football brings. I have lived through moments in football history that makes me proud to be a football fan, but with that pride comes deep disappointment. Disappointment because the sport that I and many Scots have cherished for a lifetime is a darker side to its culture, one of racism, sectarianism and sexism in misogyny. Today's debate is to discuss the latter two problems. Sexism and misogyny are deep rooted in football. Indeed, since its creation, football has been seen and understood as being a lad's game. It is in this ladish culture that surrounds football in which casual sexism proliferates and in which misogynistic attitudes are not just tolerated but are entrenched. How many of my male colleagues have been present in conversations where women have been trying to have a well-reasoned debate in football, wanting to be asked to even know the offside drill, or met with the classic, what do you know about football? You're a woman. I would almost guarantee we've fed that we've all been in that situation. Sadly, the report by the press and journalists being referred to only confirms what we already know, only on a scale we are perhaps underestimated. Despite the great strides made by the women's game, many players run the gauntlet of sexistate, sexualised comments, homophobia, bodyshaming, simply for playing the game that they and we love. That is backed up by the Scottish Football Sports Association in her game 2 survey, which found that one in four female fans had experienced sexist or misogynistic comments whilst attending matches. What is even more concerning to me, though, is the tolerance of sexism and misogyny in the game that breathes violence. That has really been evidenced by Wraith Rover's decision to sign David Goodwilly. Despite being ruled out, it would be real to be a rapist, my apologies. The decision that was defended by the club is one in being first and foremost football related. What message does that send out to the wider Scottish footballing community that you can rape a woman and then turn to late football just a few years later? In my mind, football clubs should be leading by example and showing fans in the wider sporting community that certain behaviours, behaviours that enable and lead violence against women and girls, are just not acceptable. Women and girls of all ages in Scotland should have the right to feel confident and safe when sharing their opinion about football both online and in life without fear of sexist or misogynistic abuse. Scotland should strive to be a country where women are encouraged to forge careers in the football industry without the worry of discrimination and equal opportunities and pay or abuse in the workplace. Football as a sport can lead by example. I have already been in discussions with the minister about how our football clubs can take this initiative forward and I look forward to continuing discussions. The time is now for action to be taken to stamp out the culture of misogyny and sexism of Scottish football. I am a football fan and I am also a woman. I am not just a casual football fan either. I am a season ticket holder for my local team in Vernes, Caledonian Thistle, and I am someone who has travelled internationally to follow the Scottish women's team. However, when I was a girl, I was not a football fan and that was for a number of reasons. Firstly, I was not welcome to play. In PE, I was shuffled off to the Red Hat and handed a hockey stick instead. At lunchtime kickabouts, I was chased away by the boys who felt that the only way a girl should be involved in football is when they decided that it was an effective weapon for the back of my head. That is an attitude that is too often carried into adulthood. Secondly, I thought and I understand why many share this fear that all football was like the football that I saw on the news. I thought that all football fans were like the loud, violent men who rage drunk through the streets when certain derbies are on. I did not know that there was a whole lot more to Scottish football and it was not until I left school that I was able to discover the joy of things like pies and bovril, part Dicks Kingsley rocking up onto the pitch or watching Falkirk get relegated. Scottish football is rich and ridiculous and many people miss out on the delight of it because of the darker, often more visible side putting them off. It is very clear to me that there are a lot of people, a lot of men out there who use football as an excuse for unacceptable behaviour. They use a big game as an excuse to drink too much, cause a disturbance and sometimes harm each other and other people because that is just what you do, but it is not just what you do and it is a problem. The attitude that some take towards football in Scotland ruins it for other people and it puts folk, often women and girls, off taking an interest or becoming footballers themselves. The phrase culture of misogyny in my colleague Jo Fitzpatrick's motion is spot on. I do struggle with discussing sexism, misogyny and related issues within one particular part of society because, as he said, it is an issue everywhere. We talk about sexism in politics in the workplace and these are examples of a widespread problem that exists everywhere in society being magnified by concentrated problematic attitudes in a particular place. There is no denying that football in this country contains that magnification and those problematic attitudes. It is not surprising to me that women players have reported through the Courier and P&J investigation being subject to abuse some horrific, all unacceptable, simply for playing their game. I was heartened earlier this year by comments made by Inverness, Caledonian and Thistle when they stepped in to save Thistle Girls' Football Club, a local team who, without that fast positive action, would have become dormant. The club stated its commitment to promoting and growing football for women and girls in the Highlands and that was a very proud moment for the club and it is hard to overstate the importance of statements like that in solidifying the place of women in the game. One of my favourite engagements since being elected last year, despite the rain that day, was attending the Scottish Women's Football Highlands and Islands League Cup final in Nern, which was a cracking game between Clack and Cudden women and the successful Sutherland women. If there was ever a perfect display of why women's football must be supported, it was that game, because it is our game too. However, you also cannot ignore the fact that only 8 per cent of the respondents to the investigation said that they felt that enough was being done by the football industry to reduce discriminatory behaviour. More has to be done and I am grateful to Joe Fitzpatrick, to Sophie, Stephen and all others who are working to address this issue, because it is our game too and right now we really need the support. I thank Joe Fitzpatrick for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I must start by reiterating the appalling figures found by Press and Journal and the Courier, showing that 70 per cent of female respondents to their survey had experienced discrimination in football and that 60 per cent had experienced sexism. In both cases, that is quite a clear majority and it shows that discriminatory behaviour towards women in football remains prominent in modern day Scotland. This is something that we cannot and must not stand by and accept. We cannot let sexism and discrimination pass as acceptable because it is said in the context of football. We must call it out for what it is, discrimination against women in a male-dominated field. The progress of women's football in recent times is down to the players, their families, coaches, supporters and others who have worked so incredibly hard to obtain for women's football the respect and attention that it deserves and others have mentioned this evening. Indeed, next season we will see the Scottish Women's Premier League 1 come under the responsibilities of the Scottish Professional Football League, an important step for clubs and players alike. The standard of women's football in Scotland is high, with clubs such as Glasgow City attracting international attention and entering the latter stages of the championship league. The Scotland national team led by Shelly Care, qualifying for their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup, performing so impressively on the biggest stage of them all. That shows the high level of performance, talent and dedication that has brought the women's game in Scotland to where it is today. To ensure that the game continues to develop, we must do all that we can to reduce the numbers of experiencing discrimination and sexism in the sport. We all must do better. However, that starts not just by increasing the representation of women on the field of play but also in the dugout, in the stand, in the boardroom and in refereeing, as has been mentioned by other members. Those are all parts of the game where women remain a very small minority. Men absolutely have a role to play as coaches and referees in women's football, but increasing the number of women holding those roles in years to come is something that we should seek to achieve. At grass roots level, we see clubs up and down the country give women and girls the opportunity to play. I had the pleasure of visiting Nithdael Wander's last summer to see the excellent work that they are doing to promote the women's game in the south of Scotland, and I know that such work is being replicated by communities across Scotland. As the motion states, 86 per cent of respondents think that increasing media coverage of women's football could attract more people to the sport, but it is clubs like Nithdael Wander and others where most will start their careers before going on to reach the heights of their elite divisions. For many, it need not be about reaching those high levels in the game. Like all sports, football brings with it significant physical and mental health benefits. Before all else, that should be our first focus, improving the mental health of the population, encouraging girls and women to get involved in competitive yet fair team sport, because time and time again we have been made aware of the positive impact such involvement can have for a person. Sexism has no place in any sport. It has no place in football. It is her game too. The findings of the investigation referenced in the motion are stark, and they are a stark reminder that despite the progress that we have seen, we still have a long way to go. The public, football authorities, the media and this Parliament have a role to play in kicking sexism out of the football once and for all. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I say thank you again to the member for bringing this important debate and that we will always be on the side of women in this fight. Let me begin by congratulating Jo Fitzpatrick for securing this debate. This is an important issue and I'm glad that it's being raised in Parliament this evening. In order to prepare properly for today, I thought that it would be beneficial to meet with the best women's team in Scotland at the best club in Scotland, Air United. I would like to take this chance to once again thank it. I would have to disagree with my colleague Siobhan Brown, because my daughter is vice-captain for West Dyke girls, so I don't think I could let that one slide, I'm afraid. Ms Brown, I'm glad that was an intervention and not a point of order. I'd like to take this chance to once again thank Air United's team and assistant head coach Claire Docherty for allowing me to meet with them and to learn more about women in football and hear their stories. Although needless to say, I don't think I'll be joining them soon to train. When I read to the team the motion that is being debated tonight, it really resonated with them. Each and every woman and girl has faced sexismed football in some shape or form. One girl told me that when she was playing an away game, a member of the men's away team shouted at her, get back to the kitchen, a disgraceful comment. But sexism in women's football isn't always so obvious. For example, the women's team at Air United always had to pay and fundraise for their own kits. When Claire first started, she was handed a box of men's hand-me-down kits and told to make do. Some of the shorts were three sizes too big. Currently, the women's team are using arm mismatch with an old sponsor. When speaking to the team, they highlighted to me that they felt that when a man plays football, he signs his contract and just turns up to train and play. Everything gets handed to them. Meanwhile, the ladies have to fundraise and work for just about everything. But the good news is, next season, the ladies' team at Air United will wear the same kit as the men's, presenting them as a professional and a serious force. Under the new owner and chairman, David Smith, the future is bright for the ladies' team at Air United as a whole. For the first time ever, the women and the men came together last Saturday for a joint awards night. Recognising the achievements of both groups. I would like to put my congratulations to Claire Docherty, Katie Patterson and Jodie Barber on their awards last Saturday. Under David Smith, there has been much closer links between the players and the clubs with bold and ambitious goals for growth and more support. The club is now offering to pay for a head coach for the ladies' team, and previously this was a voluntary role that required no experience. Now the SWF has put in place guidelines that requires all coaches to meet certain criterias. Over the Easter break, the United Academy ran a football camp to encourage more young people to take up the sport. This had an excellent turnout of girls. It is clear that they are the next generation who will lead women's sport to a bright future. A player at the club for 15 years told me what's happening now is the most change that has ever happened. It's always felt like the boys were a priority and whatever we got was a leftover. Put simply, all those positive developments would not have happened without Claire Docherty in charge. I hope that all clubs across Scotland will follow by air's example. However, there is still so much work to be done, and people often say that women just aren't as good as men at football and that it's not as entertaining to watch men as men. Of course, they will think that with all the structural barriers that are put in the way of girls and the lack of tension that women's football receives, the amount of money in men's football isn't even comparable with women's. As I say, things are improving. People are tuning in to watch the Scotland women's team play and conversations have started about ticket sales and pay. Women don't want special treatment or recognition. They just want to have the same chances that men get on a level playing field. Women and men's football teams are an important source of our local and national pride. Let's make Scotland a world leader in sporting equality and success. Thank you very much for joining me. I call the final speaker in the open debate, Fulton MacGregor, for around four minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you to my colleague Joe Fitzpatrick for bringing this important matter to the chamber. I didn't intend to speak today, Presiding Officer, so I thank you for being able to take me. As a convener for the cross-party group in football, I felt that it was important to speak, especially having heard the very powerful speeches that we have heard. It is something that I am always conscious of when taking the cross-party group as well. Sometimes there is not always a woman's voice there, and it is something that I work really hard with the secretary, particularly Paul McNeill of the SFA, to make sure that that is happening in Alien Campbell. It is a relatively new member to the cross-party group in a new role, and I am very welcome addition to that and to Scottish women's football generally. The main point that Joe Fitzpatrick made was that men need to challenge themselves, and we hear that a lot in this chamber. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and I played football all day every day. Any man in this chamber who is still in the debate or elsewhere that does not acknowledge this or who played football does not acknowledge this would be maybe not telling the truth. I know that you play football yourself, so maybe you will understand where I am coming from. I would say sorry to Emma Roddick because there was Emma Roddick who wanted to play football with us, and we said, no, you cannot play, because football is not for girls. It takes you to become an adult to realise that that was wrong, but we need to line up to that, and we need to make sure that my two sons and my daughter, for example, do not find themselves in the same position. I do think that we are changing, and I do think that it is better. Those were the 80s and the 90s, and I am obviously showing my age by saying that. I should obviously say that Emma Roddick, of course, would not be in that age group with me, but the similar experience she still very much had. Because girls football is thriving now, we can see that. I have taken both my boys to football academy. It is not quite 50-50 yet, but the academies are definitely growing in numbers of girls attending. Really good girls football teams across Coltbridge and Chrysyn, for example, Coltbridge Rovers, have a thriving girls community there. I think that the young kids, certainly my kids, their friends and people I talk to, do not make any dissociation between them, no difference between them. We have to go and be led with them. A really good example of that is that I started taking my oldest who is eight to Scotland international games. We have been to a couple of men's games, and we have also been to Scotland vs Hungary. If I had not been in holiday last week, I would have been to Scotland vs Spain as well. We are at the Scotland vs Hungary game, where we won 2-1 with a Rachel Corsi go on the last kick of the ball. My wee boy, who had been to games before it, said that it was the best one out of the lot. He said that it was the best one to go for everyone's browns point there. Maybe the people who are saying that women's football is not as good as men's football should talk to him because he will put them right. On another, I suppose, more serious note, the difficulties that women are still experiencing are very much there to be seen. There was an example of that just at the weekend within the Lanarkshire area—fairly local to me that members might have heard about at the Motherwell Hamilton women's game. I am actually going on to my phone here to get the newspaper headline that I have just seen. There were scenes after it at the Motherwell and Hamilton women's game, and they were described as this is the headline, the paper headline. The most disgusting scene seen at a football match in 50 years. Motherwell has seen Police Scotland investigating after spectators allegedly attacked by Balaclava clad gang outside Third Park after Motherwell women's game on Saturday, their first game at Third Hill. That makes me really angry. Shame on them. They are already experienced enough to get on that field and play, and for that to happen, and for that to happen to fans, I think that you can see just the anger in a spoke to Clare Adamson before deciding to speak in this debate and saying that I would mention that. Absolutely appalling, and I think that it highlights exactly the stuff that has been said by other members tonight already about the difficulties and barriers that are there for women and girls in this sport. I just want to say that I think that my time has crossed back group, the SFA is doing stuff to combat this. It was a good award that the Scottish Para Football was awarded with recently by UAFAG for grass-roots-based disability initiative, so it shows that we can do it here in Scotland, we can break down barriers, and we can continue to do it when it comes to women and girls in sport and in football. Thank you very much, Mr McGregor. I now call on the minister to respond to the debate for any seven minutes, Ms Todd. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I want to thank Joe Fitzpatrick for raising this motion about a very important issue. Tonight's debate has covered a lot of ground and in hearing contributions from people I am both greatly encouraged by the progress that we as a nation have made, but I am also under no illusions that a lot of work remains to be done. I very firmly believe that sport should be a safe space for people, whether they are participating or watching. I want to create and provide every opportunity for participation in sport and physical activity for everyone in Scotland, no matter their background. That is a critical part of improving the health of the nation. As we look to rebuild sport in Scotland following the impact of the pandemic, we must all support women and girls to safely return to sport. The Scottish Government understands the importance of sport and physical activity for women and girls in Scotland and the positive impact that that has on their physical health, their mental health, their social health and their wellbeing. Working together is absolutely vital to the recovery of the sector as we come out of the pandemic and are able to re-engage people from across society in sport and physical activity. Football is a great example and it can be a leader, as many in the chamber have said tonight, given its iconic position in Scottish society. The growth of women and girls football in Scotland is really encouraging and significant steps forward have been taken to support this and to improve its visibility and reach. The Scottish women's national team is now playing at Hamden and delivered a record crowd for a women's qualifier in Scotland. There are considerable efforts being made to professionalise and commercialise the women's elite game via the new governance model within the Scottish professional football league. That includes the aim to elevate female role models via the enhanced visibility of the game. Under the new SWPL model, there will be further enhanced visibility of women's football through broadcast and online channels, making more matches available to more people. In terms of participation, UEFA Playmakers in partnership with Disney saw 30 centres launched across the country in 2021, aimed at encouraging five to eight-year-old girls to play football. Six of those were in areas of high deprivation and were delivered free, providing the opportunity for 180 girls to play football in their local areas. Female-only coach education courses are being delivered, alongside existing curriculum and female-only referee courses have been introduced. Twenty-five participants will attend the Scottish women's national team match against Spain later this month as part of one of those first-ever courses. Those are all really positive steps and, of course, are greatly welcomed, but sexism and misogyny are underlying societal problems, and the Scottish Government plays huge importance on tackling those. Gender equality is at the heart of the Scottish Government's vision for a fairer Scotland, one where women and girls have and are empowered to exercise equal rights and opportunities and have equitable access to economic resources and decision making and live their lives free from all forms of violence, abuse and harassment. As part of our extensive gender equality work, we have established the gender equality task force in education and learning, we have published the Fairer Scotland for women gender pay gap action plan, we are developing plans to incorporate the convention of all forms of discrimination against women's seed-off into Scottish law, and we are implementing the recommendations from the First Minister's national advisory council on women and girls. As part of our £100 million three-year commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, we have created a new delivering, equally safe fund that will direct £38 million to projects that focus on early intervention and prevention, as well as support services. Violence against women is a fundamental violation of human rights, and the Scottish Government has taken robust action to tackle sexual offending, improving our laws, encouraging more victims of recent and historical cases to come forward and improving support. We also set up the misogyny working group, tasked with evaluating how the Scottish criminal justice system deals with misogyny, looking at whether there are gaps in the law. As the First Minister said in Parliament on International Women's Day, too many women live in perennial fear of harassment and abuse, and it is not women who need to change. What needs to change is a culture in which prejudice, sexism and misogyny still thrive. A society in which women do not feel safe is not one in which we can ever be truly equal. It is time to challenge, certainly. I thank the minister for taking the intervention. Will she agree with me that sometimes small changes may help as well? I have been hearing round the chamber tonight that we have been speaking about the Scottish football team and the Scottish women's football team. Shouldn't we be calling it the Scottish men's football team and the Scottish women's football team to make it more equal? If we can start small changes like that, it is a beginning, although it is definitely not the end. I am all for Team Scotland, and I think that the women's team and the men's team should absolutely be regarded equally. They give us great heart when they are playing well and devastate us when things go wrong, so we are more than happy to make those small changes, which I think build up to a bigger picture. We need to challenge unacceptable male behaviour, and we need to better protect women from it. Scotland has led the way by creating a zero-tolerance position to domestic abuse by creating the first domestic abuse offence, which recognises coercive and controlling behaviours in law. We have got Baroness Helinast Kennedy's QC's working group on misogyny, which recently published its ground breaking report. The Government welcomes the report's recommendations and principle, and we will respond formally after giving full consideration to the recommendations. However, I mention those issues because I think that it is clear, and we have to be clear, that this is not only a problem that is seen in football. It is an issue widely witnessed across all sectors of society. I am having conversations regularly with all of the sports bodies, as we have a responsibility to tackle those issues and take steps to make positive changes. Football is just one of many sports, but, oh my goodness, it has a powerful presence, and it can lead the way for good and demonstrate the change that is badly needed. I recently had a very useful meeting with Borussia representatives from Borussia Dortmund to learn about the excellent work that they have been doing to address antisemitism in the fanbase and in the wider city, and I am looking to implement the learning from that in tackling equalities issues here in Scotland. I also met with Canysga Advocacy, who has a strong voice in advocating for sport across the UK to be safe and equal, and that celebrates and protects and respects all sports people. I share their ambitions to make sport as safe as possible for everyone. I am more than happy to take up Joe Fitzpatrick's invitation to meet to explore the potential for educational workshops to catalyse change. Before I finish, let me reiterate that. As sports minister, this is an issue that is very close to my heart. I am absolutely determined that we will encourage more women and girls to participate in sport, and that sport will be a safe place for women and girls. I am hopeful, because I too experienced, as I am eroded, that girls can't play football. A generation later experienced girls can't play football. I heard very recently at the children and young people's cabinet children telling me that they were told that that was one of the things that they couldn't do as girls. I would like to look forward to a future where no girl is told that she can't play football. I want to thank you all for contributing to this discussion tonight and also to Joe Fitzpatrick for bringing this motion to Parliament. That concludes the debate, and I close this meeting of Parliament.