Chelsea Women’s manager Emma Hayes and Kelly Simmons, The FA’s Director of National Game and Women’s Football, will be headlining Kick It Out’s second Women’s Raise Your Game conference on Tuesday 28 October 2014.
The conference, which is being held at West Ham United’s Boleyn Ground, aims to encourage more women to explore employment opportunities across all areas of football. The FREE event will consist of one-to-one mentoring sessions, keynote speeches and a panel discussion.
There will also be specific coaching and media workshops delivered by Emma, who is currently the only female manager in FA Women’s Super League 1, and Anna Edwards, the Producer of the Sportswomen Show on Sky Sports News HQ, respectively.
Rachael Downie, an experienced television presenter who recently covered the Le Mans 24 hours race in France, has been confirmed as host for the conference which has seen a strong flow of sign ups since being announced on 23 September.
Shelley Alexander, who is a co-founder of Women in Football (WiFs), the BBC’s Editorial Lead for Women’s Sport and Chair of Kick It Out’s Mentoring Delivery Group, is one of a number of leading women looking to inspire others to break through into the industry.
In addition, Amy Lawrence, a football writer for the Guardian and Observer, Jess Creighton, a Freelance Presenter and Reporter for BBC Sport and BT Sport, and Samantha Johnson, Broadcaster and Producer for Arise TV, have all signed up as mentors with more key names to be confirmed.
Caroline Barker, a leading sports broadcaster for the BBC, will be hosting the panel discussion, and from an officiating perspective, Lucy May, Referee Development Officer from Northumberland FA, and Janie Frampton, Director of Sports Officials Consultancy, will both be in attendance too.
The first Women’s Raise Your Game conference was held in October 2013 with England Women’s internationals Casey Stoney and Siobhan Chamberlain, and former Lincoln Women’s player Megan Harris, all signing up to seek advice at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
As with last year’s conference, attendees will be able to seek expert advice on potential career pathways into a variety of areas including coaching and management, grassroots and community, player services, media and communications, sports science, and football administration.
The Raise Your Game series has been running as part of Kick It Out’s Mentoring and Leadership Programme since 2011, and has led to a number of attendees securing full-time employment, work placements and qualifications within their chosen fields.
Spaces are limited for the second Women’s Raise Your Game conference! Please book your FREE spot now by clicking here.
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