Women’s Raise Your Game helps inspire the next generation to join the football industry

Friday 16 Mar 2018
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It was a day to remember at Wembley Stadium as Kick It Out hosted its Women’s Raise Your Game conference, in partnership with UCFB, and supported by the Premier League on Monday 12 March.

Over 100 women gathered at UCFB’s Campus inside the home of football to develop their pathways into the football industry through the advice and guidance offered throughout the day.

The event began with host Jeanette Kwakye welcoming Roisin Wood, CEO of Kick It Out, and Sharona Friedman, Chief Marketing Officer of UCFB, detailing their experiences in the football industry before announcing the initial details of the #Next25 Scholarship Programme to those in attendance.

This was swiftly followed by the first panel discussion of the day featuring Marieanne Spacey, Dr. Leanne Norman, Manisha Tailor and Hannah Dingley as they debated their roles as coaches across differing levels of the game.

Marieanne Spacey explained her current role within the National Women’s setup with England, whilst Manisha and Hannah gave insight to their positions at Queens Park Rangers and Burton Albion respectively.

A number of engaging workshops were next on the agenda for the women in attendance as Toby French, of Careers In Football hosted a ‘Careers Tactics’ workshop, whilst Shelley Alexander from BBC Sport hosted a media-specialised session alongside Jeanette, and broadcaster Anne-Marie Batson delivering a masterclass on the business side of the industry with Chris Paouros.

The workshops were also repeated in the afternoon to give mentees the opportunity to gain as much insight as possible for a future career in the sport.

The afternoon saw a number of engaging discussions take place with a Women In Football Leadership Panel featuring Rupinder Bains Board member at The FA, Chris Paouros, Co-Chair Proud Lilywhites and Jo Tongue, from Tongue Tied Media, starting proceedings after the lunch break.

Jo detailed her pathway into the football industry detailing the hard work she put in to work as a sports journalist for free and having to combine that with her paid job. Chris explained the formation of the Proud Lilywhites and how that developed her career into her latest role on The FA’s Inclusion Advisory Group.

Finally, Rupinder gave insight into her legal background and how she faced family and societal issues in her pursuit of becoming a Lawyer and her new role at The FA.

It was then the turn of current and former UCFB students to detail their pathways into the industry, with Amy O’Connor, Jennifer Lace and Sarah Makki explaining how they managed to turn their qualifications from the education institution into employment within football. They were joined by Rhia Chohan, who explained her pathway into BBC Sport.

The event provided greater insight and knowledge for the UCFB students and other mentees who participated throughout the mentoring conference, with many signing up to attend the National Raise Your Game conference, set for next month at Emirates Stadium.

Speaking after the event, Sharona Friedman, Chief Marketing Officer of UCFB:

“What a fantastic day for all who attended the Women’s Raise Your Game conference. It was a privilege to be surrounded by so many talented females and to hear incredible stories of leadership and success.

“UCFB is committed to inclusion and opportunity for all in the football industry, and this conference helped to showcase some of the best talent in the industry. With The Next 25 scholarship about to launch too, we can’t wait to help unearth the next generation of brilliant sports professionals.”

Troy Townsend, Education Manager at Kick It Out, was delighted to host another successful Women’s conference:

“It was an amazing day at Wembley and I have to thank UCFB and the Premier League for allowing us to develop and grow this wonderful event.

“It was a day to be truly inspired with the backdrop of Wembley Stadium. I saw so many inspirational women providing the perfect advice and guidance for the mentees here today, who will hopefully start to begin their journeys into the football industry following this event.

“This event proves Kick It Out is empowering and enabling the next generation to create change in the sport by creating fair representation for all across the game.”

REGISTER FOR OUR FREE #RYG18 NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 16 APRIL, BY CLICKING HERE

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"We have a responsibility as players to give something back and I’m really thankful to be part of this organisation because we can do a lot of good."
Jack Butland, 'Next 20' Ambassador
“A big part of my involvement with Kick It Out stems from my strong admiration for the organisation’s commitment to fairness and equality.”
Clive Tyldesley, football commentator
“It was Kick It Out that convinced the people in football that change was possible.”
Greg Dyke, former FA chairman
“I wanted to thank the campaigners at Kick It Out for their work. I know first-hand how Kick It Out can help.”
Yaya Toure, Manchester City midfielder
“It is important for me in my role as a Kick It Out ‘Next 20’ ambassador to teach young people how to handle discrimination and treat people with respect.”
Romelu Lukaku, 'Next 20' Ambassador
“It is a massive honour for me to be an ambassador for such a great organisation. I think they do great work on and off the field.”
Toni Duggan, 'Next 20' Ambassador
"It really helped me to see that other professional sports people were acknowledging their sexuality. I read about John Amaechi, Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley. They weren't footballers but the fact that they went public gave me the feeling that I was not alone."
Thomas Hitzlsperger, former Aston Villa midfielder
"There was no conflict between religion and the fact that I wanted to play football. I was brought up correctly and in the right way and my parents are very proud of the fact that I am a professional footballer."
Sadio Mané, Liverpool winger
“I think it’s important to share success stories and realise that there are women operating in the game. If it’s something you want to do, you can do it.”
Ffion Eade, Hampshire FA referee
"I've had loads of negative comments from men, especially growing up. It's just boring and old. Times have changed, and they continue to change. Women play football, and they're good at it, and have been for a number of years.”
Kelly Smith, England Women's record goalscorer
"Despite the progress, stereotypes still exist in football and until that is broken down it will be extremely difficult for a woman to manage a top level men's team."
Rachel Yankey, former Arsenal Ladies forward
"There’s no hiding that there is sexism in sport. We have a lack of women right across all levels of management, playing and coaching. It shows the closed nature of sport in general and this includes the media. It’s an indictment of sport as a whole."
Rimla Akhtar, Kick It Out trustee and Chair of the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation
“I’m proud to be a supporter of Kick It Out and particularly the work they are doing to combat antisemitism within football.”
Joe Jacobson, Wycombe Wanderers midfielder
"With Kick It Out leading the way football is standing up and fighting against those who preach hatred and intolerance and we at Chelsea are proud to support their work."
Bruce Buck, Chelsea Football Club Chairman

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