Joining forces with Rugby Borough Women's FC

For me, growing up, there weren’t many female football players to look up to. Being able to see more girls and women playing football and giving children in our community the opportunity to come down at the weekend and see all the women’s teams playing is a real privilege.

As a first team player for Rugby Borough Women’s Football Club, I know first-hand how important it is to invest in women’s sport, especially from an early age – it’s all about creating more chances for girls to fall in love with the game and chase their football dreams. That’s why our latest partnership with E.ON is so beneficial to the local community as it lets us get out and do more. 

Alongside playing in central midfield on the pitch, I also work full time for the club as a schools Community Officer. I’m a qualified coach and it’s my job to build relationships with schools across Coventry and Warwickshire and deliver a programme of sports activities to inspire more young people – particularly girls – into football. My role has seen me work with hundreds of girls in recent years to help them grow their confidence, improve their skills, and kick-start their football journey. 

Rugby Borough has now teamed up with E.ON which, as well as becoming our official training wear partner, has also invested in our education programme. Their support has allowed me to start our new ‘skills centre’ alongside our existing community programme, which will be delivered to schools across the local area. This is a really exciting project for us to encourage as many girls as we can to start playing football – especially in Rugby, a town which is hugely community focused, and where sport is at its heart.

For many children, schools are the first place they’re introduced to football. The kids love taking part in our community sessions, and receiving coaching from female players really gives the girls a role model to aspire to. The programmes themselves include technical skills training, where they’re learning football positions – so defending, attacking and goal keeping – utilising the skills they would use in a real game. But the sessions also improve communication skills and they have the opportunity to make new friends with kids they might not usually interact with and learn from a professional, experienced footballer. 

Thanks to E.ON’s support, it’s a fantastic opportunity for us as a club to encourage more children to join our football community and watch a women’s team play at a professional level – which helps create a real connection, as girls can see us in action on the pitch.