Cymru footballers come together to tackle gender-based violence

Cymru players, Ben Davies, Joe Morrell, and David Brooks have come together in a new video to share simple tips to help women feel safe as part of a new campaign.

White Ribbon Day 2023 takes place this Saturday (25 November), and aims to raise awareness of and take action to end men’s violence against women and girls.

To mark the day, the Football Association of Wales has partnered with the recently launched Sound campaign to start a conversation around gender-based violence.

This weekend also coincides with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25), which marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

Open conversations

The 15 minute video features an honest chat between the players where they discuss the influence of ‘hyper masculine’ figures on social media, what men can do to help women feel safe, and the importance of having open conversations with male friends, colleagues and teammates.

During the conversation, Ben Davies, who married his partner Emily in 2022 and recently became a father for the first time, reflected on his own relationship by saying “the reason our relationship is so good, is because we’re open with each other, we’re honest with each other and we have each other’s backs. Good communication is key, and I think it’s important that we also have this in the dressing room.”

David Brooks picked up on the importance of communication, reflecting on his cancer diagnosis in 2021.

He shared: “It’s deemed to be ‘what I’m going through’ and the difficulties that I had. But me living through it, I didn’t find it that mentally challenging, obviously it was physically demanding but Flora had to see me on a day-to-day basis, and she didn’t want to burden me so it took a toll on her. It just shows that what you’re going through can affect others too, and that communication was important to get her the help she needed through the process as well.

Self reflection

Joe Morrell said: “I think self-reflection is really important, and sometimes it can be really difficult. It’s important to reflect on how you are coming across and how you are living your life.”

David Brooks agreed, saying, “If my friends were acting a certain way out in public, or in their relationships, I’d pull them up on it. You’re only as good as the company you keep.”

Alongside the FAW and Cymru players’ support for the Sound campaign, the FAW recently dedicated their Cymru men’s UEFA EURO Qualifying match against Türkiye to White Ribbon, reiterating the White Ribbon Promise to never use, excuse or remain silent about men’s violence against women.

Football Association of Wales CEO, Noel Mooney said: “We are incredibly proud of our Cymru players Ben Davies, David Brooks, and Joe Morrell for their support of the Welsh Government Sound campaign and highlighting the importance of men talking to one another to end harmful behaviours.”

He added: “We hope the conversations between our players will encourage many other men to reach out to their friends or seek trusted, sound advice on how to address such behaviours and how to create an environment where women can feel safe.” 

Anthea Sully, Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK, said: “The Sound campaign, along with Welsh footballers, have provided a brilliant example of what men can do to change cultures to end harmful behaviours, by challenging restrictive norms and giving each other space to have sound conversations.”