Olympic gold medallist Chloe Dalton has voiced her disappointment over the media’s handling of the Swiss women’s football team’s recent match, where they suffered a 7-1 defeat against an under-15 boys team. The result generated significant media attention, including ridicule from British television personality Piers Morgan.
Dalton explained that the Swiss team, ranked 23rd in the world, treated the match as a training exercise, experimenting with player rotations and combinations in preparation for Euro 2025. She criticises the tendency of commentators to misinterpret the event, arguing that it undermines the team’s genuine aim of performance improvement.
Expressing her frustration, Dalton remarked, “If they played a boys team and won, that wouldn’t be news, so why this?” She emphasised that the focus should remain on the women showcasing their skills as high-performance athletes, not on comparisons with men’s sports.
Dalton highlighted the problematic nature of framing women’s sports in opposition to men’s, asserting, “I want to play AFLW, not in the men’s AFL competition.” She advocated for the independent recognition and celebration of women’s sports without the need for demeaning comparisons.
Chloe Dalton, who won gold with the Australian rugby sevens team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has played 32 games in the AFLW for Carlton and GWS, recently announced her retirement due to ongoing back issues. She reflected on her career, stating that after undergoing two back surgeries and not recovering as she hoped, the decision to retire was painfully challenging.
At 31, Dalton expressed that her body no longer allowed her to compete at the required level, acknowledging the difficulties in making the transition from professional sport. She urged a shift away from the narrative that contrasts the capabilities of male and female athletes, advocating for a more respectful focus on women’s achievements in sport.