1.Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Family first – life is with children Charlie (13), Millie (10, goalkeeper for U12s at WWGFC), partner James & his children William (13) & Oliver (11). A busy household full of football mad people!
Work-wise, I’m HR Director at Legal & General and split my time between the city office and home in Lower Shiplake.
When not working, I am found swimming in the lake or pool, running around our beautiful part of the world or climbing mountains when time permits!
2. Have you always been involved in sport?
Yes! From my earliest memories of playing in the youth netball league in High Wycombe at the age of 7 through to school & university sport, I then found my passion locally as a rower in Henley & Reading. Sport has been a thread right through my life and I still enjoy open water swimming & running.
3. Do you think playing sport has helped you to increase your confidence?
Absolutely – sport opened doors to friendships & lifelong connections and I love to think our club offers the same to our players. That chance to build bonds, meet people you may not meet in school or work and bond over a common passion for the game!
4. What advice would you like to give your younger self (during the school years)?
There’s no timeline for life and what you ‘should’ have achieved by any age. I spent a lot of time thinking I should know more on what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. Not everyone knows but if you follow your passions and stay endlessly curious and keen then good things will find their way to you!
5. What inspired you to take on the role of Chairwoman of the club?
After so many years of personally benefitting from the hard work of the committees & volunteers of the many sports clubs I have competed for, it’s time to give back. The club has such an amazing legacy built by Bob and the team and I’m keen to keep this going and be part of co-creating and shaping what the future will look like. So much opportunity & potential to make our incredible club a thriving and inclusive club. I also believe it’s important for there to be a female role model in place for our members.
6. It’s such an exciting time to take on the role of a chairwoman of a girls and women’s football club now, just after our Lionesses brought football home. How do you see this impacting how the club is run?
It’s an incredible time for women’s football and women’s sport more broadly. As well as inspiring a whole generation of future players, it’s led to a more open debate on how the FA can take control at the grassroots of the women’s game, as well of course seeing more money dedicated to women’s football. The FA have announced plans to enable 120,000 more girls to play football at school, alongside the government’s pledge of £230m for 8000 new pitches by 2025. The time is ripe for WWGFC to be part of this debate and contribute to access to the game locally and securing more pitch space for our women & girls!
I have a number of plans to widen access, including setting up our first fully funded grant places for local girls whose families may not be able to commit to the annual fees.
7.What is your secret to juggling a busy schedule, which is only going to get busier now with taking on the new role?
‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’! This resonates with me because I believe it’s true. A busy schedule requires meticulous planning. But also an incredible team around you. So outside work, that’s my wonderful family who help keep the show on the road. And at WWGFC there is no doubt the magic happens with the incredible committee and coaches who give so much of their time.
8. How do you recharge and what do you like doing in your free time?
Family first! We love our weekends and time away. This year saw us enjoying adventures in Cornwall & the Lake District. And sporting pursuits always feature – this year we tried coasteering & canyoning among other extreme sports!
9. Favorite place/s in our neighborhood?
The river! We are so fortunate to live where we do. We enjoy paddling our canoe on the Hennerton backwater and mooring up for a drink at the George & Dragon.