I was asked to 'cover up' when I breastfed my son at a cricket match
I was asked to ‘cover up’ by a member at a cricket ground when I breastfed my 16-week-old son because I was ’embarrassing the players’ – but the club insists it’s NOT discrimination
- New mother Leah Wong, 32, from Stalybridge, complained to the club in Hyde
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A new mother has claimed she was asked to cover up while breastfeeding during a cricket match by another member at the club who is also her friend.
Leah Wong, 32, from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, was watching her partner play at Flowery Field Cricket Club in Hyde on April 22, when her 16-week-old son Tristan needed to be fed.
In response, the outraged mother, who works in PR, continued feeding her baby until he was finished. She then told her partner about what had happened before the pair left the cricket ground.
She then filed a complaint but claims the club ruled it was not discrimination because she was only asked to move, rather than leave the premises. Leah also claims the club member refused to say sorry.
When the club brought in an independent witness to review her complaint, Leah claims the witness said she shouldn’t have been breastfeeding in the spot she had been sitting in, and should have gone inside.
Leah Wong, 32, from Stalybridge in Greater Manchester, has claimed she was asked to move or cover up by a fellow member at a cricket club when she was breastfeeding her 16-week-old son, Tristan
The furious mother, who has been left ‘really upset’ by the incident, said: ‘I was sitting on a bench outside the changing rooms – there were benches all the way around.
‘When I started [breastfeeding] the game was on so there were people on the pitch and people sitting behind me but no one walking past.
‘Then the game ended so the players went past to go into the changing room.
‘The woman approached me. She is someone my partner has known his whole life and I’ve known for a few years now, so I just expected a pleasant conversation.
‘Then he said that I shouldn’t have been breastfeeding where I was and I should have gone inside.’
The furious mother, who claims she has never before felt self-conscious about breastfeeding, said she was told she was ‘inappropriate’
Leah claims she finished breastfeeding Tristan before she told her partner what had happened and the pair left the club
The mother claimed the woman told her she used to be a midwife, which qualified her to share her opinion on where Leah should breastfeed.
Leah then claims the woman told her: ‘It’s not appropriate, it’s embarrassing for everyone else – it’s not appropriate around the male players.’
The mother continues: ‘She made reference to my nipples and my breasts and said people had been discussing it.
‘She suggested I go somewhere more discreet. I said it was completely natural and I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
‘She then said ‘will you at least cover up?’ I said no.’
While at first, Leah felt upset about the encounter, she quickly became angry and says it ‘shouldn’t have happened’.
She recalls telling her partner about the incident after the match, at which point he also expressed anger and disappointment at the actions of someone he ‘considered a good friend’.
Leah submitted a complaint after the incident and was invited to a meeting at the club on May 30, but claims she was told the other member had not behaved in a discriminatory way.
She claimed: ‘They said her comments weren’t the sentiments of the club and that they’d tried to do what was fair and appropriate given the circumstances.
The incident happened at the end of April when Tristan (pictured) was just a few weeks old
Leah claims she was summoned to a meeting with the cricket club at the end of May after she raised a complaint
The mother (pictured with Tristan) claims she was told the dispute did not amount to discrimination and the other member would not apologise
‘They’d asked her to apologise and she’s refused but they said the club has no control over its members.
‘They also said she didn’t ask me to leave the site only to move elsewhere so it wasn’t discrimination.
‘They invited a club member as an independent witness, he said it’s not the same as discrimination, it’s someone’s opinion.
‘Then he said that I shouldn’t have been breastfeeding where I was and I should have gone inside.’
Following the dispute, Leah claims the club has been putting up posters to show that breastfeeding is welcome within the grounds.
‘I’m pleased that they’re putting up these posters, but given that the club member at the meeting said I shouldn’t have been breastfeeding there, it’s clear the posters will have absolutely no effect,’ she said, adding the club was trying to ‘distance’ itself from the row.
Now she says she is uncomfortable with returning to the cricket ground and breastfeeding again, despite never feeling self-conscious about it before.
‘I’ve had more positive experiences than negative ones, but we also need to show that it’s legal to breastfeed in public and most venues are perfectly happy with it,’ she said.
‘I’m not going to go back to the club to watch cricket again.’
A Flowery Field Cricket Club spokesman said: ‘We as a club have been in contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board and Lancashire Cricket Foundation who are investigating accordingly.
‘No comment can be made before the investigation by the ECB comes to a close.’
The ECB have confirmed they are supporting the LCF’s investigation, as is standard practice.
A spokesperson from the Lancashire Cricket Foundation said: ‘We are investigating the complaint which took place at Flowery Field Cricket Club, as we strive to ensure cricket as a game is inclusive and welcoming to all.
‘No further comment will be made until the investigation has been concluded.’
Femail has contacted Flowery Field Cricket Club and LCF for further comment.
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