From the Pub to Wembley
At Bosch UK, our associates have a diverse range of hobbies and skills. We caught up with Laura Bloomfield and Eleanor Catchpole, Project Managers at Bosch Lawn and Garden, Stowmarket, to discuss the challenges they faced growing up playing football, how they made it to Wembley in the BT Sports Pub Cup, and what they think the future of the sport will look like for women and girls.
Laura and Eleanor both had a similar journey playing football from an early age. With few girls playing the sport and a lack of clubs in their local area, they were the only girls on boy’s football teams. They described it being daunting to be the only girls within boy’s football teams who enjoyed the sport and didn’t have any female football role models to look up to, compared to young girls today, who can see what the Lionesses have achieved in their career as footballers.
Laura continued to play football as a hobby until the age of 16, when the football team she was playing for at the time got shut down. With less clubs and academies, it meant that to continue playing at a high standard, girls had to travel further which made it challenging, playing football.
For Eleanor at the age of 12, she had to stop playing football as there wasn’t a team for her to play on. She felt that there weren’t the same number of opportunities for girls to play football in comparison to the number of boys teams in her area. She stepped down and played a lower level of football, and at the age of 18, Eleanor moved to the US on a degree scholarship to study whilst playing football.
Both Laura and Eleanor now play football for a Tier Five, Easton region premier division, Needham Market Women’s FC.
This May, Eleanor and Laura entered the BT Sport Pub Cup: a tournament for grassroots football, in which you can enter as your local pub. Eleanor and Laura entered as The Swan, which is the local pub to their team in Needham Market.
The first round was regionals at Crystal Palace in June, in the format of a seven-a-side game against teams from all over London and the South- East.
The second round took place at the Manchester City Etihad training campus, as an eleven-a-side game against the regional champions. The Swan finished this stage at the top of their group and won their semi-final match to secure their place at Wembley for the final against The Boars Head, which unfortunately they lost 2-1 but they said that it was such an incredible day.
New Opportunities for girls to play football
Laura and Eleanor discussed how there has been a huge leap forward in girl’s and women’s football in the last few years, creating new opportunities for them within the sport. There are now more leagues in local areas and counties, allowing more girls to pursue football at different levels to suit their ability, without having to travel long distances to play. They are not being held back due to lack of clubs in local areas or having to play at a lower level, which hinders their ability to improve as players within the sport.
There has also been a big investment in the women’s Super League which has helped to attract lots of international players. This influx of talent has meant that players are moving down divisions, leading to a ripple effect, benefitting the whole of the women’s football pyramid.
These Super League players are also earning substantial amounts of money, creating a pathway for young girls, showing them that you can turn your hobby into a career.
The future of women’s and girl’s football after the Euros
This year, the world watched the Lionesses win their first ever major women’s championship, with a record crowd for a European championship final of 87,192. The two spoke about how this win will help shape the future of women’s and girl’s football, from both the investment and media coverage within the sport, alongside money that will now be invested from grassroots up, and the girls that will now realise that they can turn their passion into a career.
The pair both agreed that having the number of role models there are now, including more female coaches, alongside the team spirit and togetherness, will help to inspire the next generation to pursue their passion within the sport and breakdown gender stereotypes. Girls will also have more chances to try football from an early age with the opportunity to pursue it at a level they can excel at.
Transferable skills: from football to the office
Playing football helps to create interpersonal, communication and leadership skills. Everyone that plays football can develop these skills which are important to take into other aspects of your life including your career.
Moreover, they said that having an environment to destress after work and being around the other girls, gives you a distraction from everyday life and a chance to relieve stress.