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With experience ranging from 18 years' service to just a few weeks, the women at Hampshire FA are a fantastic example of what can be achieved in football by a strong team of women.  In fact, the development team is dominated by women, who are now in the majority. This is a far cry from when Senior Education Officer Jackie Binnington arrived 18 years ago and was the only woman in the office. Hampshire FA's women are more than just a great team, they are also a sisterly support network who ease the nerves of new recruits and look out for each other in the office. With a mixture of ages and personalities they are almost a family and have a working environment that many women in football can only dream of.

Diversity and inclusion is something that is important at Hampshire FA. They recognise the potential women offer to the county FA's and have therefore sought to have a very balanced workforce where opportunities for progression are equally available to all. However, the women working there are aware of the rarity of having so many women in roles like theirs. They are also massively aware of the importance of this, and the effect that it can have on football across the county more generally. Having a large percentage of women in the team means that when they deliver to county members these members recognise that there are a number of women that work in football and that the old belief of football being 'a man's game' is not true anymore. The more exposure people get to women in all areas of football the more likely it is to become the norm. They are also aware of their position as role models for young women who may want to secure a job in football, especially after the successes of the Lionesses in the 2015 World Cup.

At Hampshire, the working environment allows women to feel valued and respected and this has encouraged more women to pursue a career there. The leadership have played a huge role in setting that tone and paving the way and the Chief Executive has been an important part of this. There is certainly a lot to learn from these women and their organisation. Their individual stories and successes as well as their successes as a group are an excellent example of best practice. The information and advice contained in their profiles below are a great resource for any women working in football, or any football organisations hoping to get more women involved.

Debbie Sowton, Hampshire FA Discipline Manager

Debbie was sought was approached by the then CEO Laurence Jones three times to join the workforce before finally saying yes. She has been Discipline Manager since 2005, and has been volunteering in football for over 25 years. As manager of the discipline department, her role involves looking after all discipline in the county including the process of cautions, send-offs and all football related offences.

Like many women working in football she has faced plenty of challenges especially when she took up the whistle. However Debbie soon discovered that banter could go both ways and her knowledge of the rules and regulations of the game soon ensured that the players came to respect her. Every day in the role is different and this is what Debbie has enjoyed most about her role over the years.

Her advice to other women and girls who would like to get into the industry is to stick with it and never allow yourself to be belittled by those that are in some cases jealous of what you are achieving.

Alice Hibberd, Education Officer

After university Alice volunteered at her local council for two months as an Assistant Sports Development Assistant to gain key experience and the confidence to apply for the Education Office role at Hampshire FA. She has been in the role just a few weeks.

She enjoys the variety that comes with her role, from organising venues, tutors and courses to dealing with customer enquiries and developing and designing new databases

Alice played football from a young age and sought out the role at Hampshire FA because it gave her the opportunity to be involved in an industry I have a passion for. This passion has continued despite facing discrimination when coaching football at university from a small minority of individuals who believed that women did not belong in football or sport all together. The encouragement of those who did believe in women in football helped her to get past this negativity and seek out a career in the game.

Her advice to those seeking a similar role is to gain valuable volunteering experience. Due to the limited number of jobs in sport, the more experience you have the more likely you are to get the role you wish for as organisation's want more than just the right qualifications.

Charlotte Brown, Football Development Officer – Clubs and Disability

Charlotte has played football from the age of 6 and has always had a passion for the game. She gained work experience at Hampshire FA whilst at college and after completing her studies started a job in discipline. She currently oversees Charter Standard clubs in the county and the IOW as an area and also supports disability football events and activities along with Martina Heath.

Thanks to her hard work 80% of all affiliated teams in the county have the FA Charter Standard. Her impact in this area has been phenomenal with no clubs in this category when she joined. The variety of experiences gained from working with so many different clubs has been a key reason why Charlotte enjoys her role, but most important have been the people she is surrounded by. She works in numerous locations, travelling as far as the Isle of Wight to meet with clubs and partners.

Charlotte would encourage people from all backgrounds to work in football, believing that if you're passionate about sport and want to make a difference, football is the perfect job.

Jackie Binnington, Senior Education Officer

Jackie has been at Hampshire FA for 18 years. She joined the discipline department part-time after being made redundant from her role at a double-glazing company. Now Senior Education Officer she manages and coordinates an extensive range of coaching and football related courses in the county. Jackie has always liked football but never found herself in the right environment to play to a high level. She played for a team for two seasons from 1982 before pursuing  racket sports instead but has experience helping to run a football club.

In those 18 years there has not been a day when she has not wanted to come in, all thanks to the people she works with. Since working in the education team the amount of courses offered has increased ten fold and due to this success two more staff members have had to be brought in. Hampshire is one of the biggest counties so coordinating so many courses and participants is no small feat. Her highlight so far has been receiving her 10 years' service award and she can't wait to reach the 20 year milestone and receive the next one.

Her biggest challenge has been managing her work life balance. Also problematic has been the classification of her role as administrator which meant she was often underestimated for her work.

Her advice to any women wanting to follow a similar path is to keep persevering as it's such a rewarding job to do.

Martina Heath, Women & Girls Football Development Officer & Girls Centre of Excellence Manager)

Martina came to Hampshire FA after working at Fareham Borough Council on the Olympic Torch Relay. She joined the team having already worked on some projects with them. Martina's background was in netball but she sought a career in football due to the larger amount of opportunities available. She now manages the elite female programme and all women & girls activities in the county as well as supporting and managing disability football with the support of Charlotte.

As the only female on some of her coaching courses and, even more unusual, the only person who brought their child along, she has enjoyed the flexibility that her career in football has given her. Colleagues have always been supportive or her as a mother but she had to work hard to prove herself in the industry and challenge stereotypes. She works with young talent in the centre of excellence and was able to bring former England u17 manager Lois Fidler to the centre to work with young girls there.

Her career so far has taught her not to give up, and this is the advice that she would like to pass on to any others hoping to follow in her path.

Florence Lunn, Football Development Administrator

Florence interned at Hampshire FA after graduating from university. Whilst on her travels in New Zealand she worked in talent Centre, inspiring her even more to work in football when she returned. She learnt a lot from her time in New Zealand, where the girls and boys set up had the same provisions, about how best to support the women's game.

Florence now looks after all administration and offers support to the Development department but coaching is her passion and she continues to coach alongside her full time role. Whilst qualifying to become a coach the fact that most content was geared towards the male game really stood out to her. The video clips were all of boys, the content failed to address issues specific to girls, and the course was heavily aimed at those who wished to work in academies – a route not open to those working in the women's game. Despite these challenges Florence is determined to succeed as a coach and enjoys her role at the Centre where people are really supportive towards each other and love to share ideas.

Her advice to any young women wishing to work in the football industry is to be thick skinned and not let things affect you and get you down.

Ellie Hellyer, Recreational Football Development Officer

Ellie came to Hampshire FA after graduating from Southampton Solent University. At university she geared her sports studies degree towards football, the sport she has most passion for. She began her career the FA as an education officer but was promoted within six months. She now looks after all recreational football activities such as Just Play centres in the county.

Ellie has enjoyed and loved football from a young age and she got into the sport after copying her brother. Initially her dad did not like the idea of taking her along with her brother to play, but after some stern words from her mum Ellie went to her first football session where she was better than her brother and reached the highest standard of anyone in her family. She was often told she couldn't play and spent a lot of time playing for boy's teams at home in Devon and at the centre of excellence. Football has made her more confident and after going to university she realised that she could pursue a career in the game.

Her advice to anyone wishing to follow in her footsteps is never to give up. It took her 9 months to find the job at the Hampshire FA, but she was passionate about her career and put in the extra hard work necessary to get her foot on the ladder.

Isabella Sakias, Business Support Officer

Isabella also came to Hampshire FA after studying sports development at university. Her passion lay in martial arts but she was committed to working in any sport possible. Isabella together with the CEO looks after a base of 46 commercial partners; she also oversees all of the marketing and media for the association, manages all complaints and positive feedback, manages the website and social media sites and oversees the planning and preparation for the Grassroots Football Awards which saw its biggest attendance this year.

Since beginning her role Isabella has brought in an array of partners to the Association and has both devised and sold commercial packages. Despite these successes what she enjoys most about work are the people she works with. She credits the team with being like a little family who have helped her to grow as a person during her time with them.

Although Isabella had no knowledge of football before beginning her role, she has not allowed this to hold her back. As a result her advice to others seeking a similar career is just go for it and not let your own scepticism and negative thoughts hold you back. Others will decide if you are the right person for the job.

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