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Women in Football's Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays, which took place last week at Wembley Stadium, proved a huge hit with delegates – prompting plans for a second, even larger event in 2023.

Around 250 Women in Football members rolled up last Thursday at a national stadium drenched in spring sunlight to hear from a range of star speakers, hosted by founding WIF member Jacqui Oatley MBE.

Enabled by a pledge to WIF's #GetOnside campaign by lead partner Barclays, the conference was devised as a career development and networking event for women working in the football industry and those who aspire to follow them.

It was former England and Arsenal legend Kelly Smith MBE who kicked off proceedings. In conversation with Jacqui, she told a packed Wembley Suite of her love for the game from an early age. "I would kick a tennis ball to school," she said. "If I didn’t have a tennis ball it would be a stone! I always needed to have a sphere object at my feet."

 

Either side of lunch, three sets of breakout sessions offered delegates a multitude of in-depth perspectives from panels composed of women who have been successful in a variety of settings – media, boardroom, PR, finance, coaching and more.

For more details on these sessions please see the follow-up stories by WIF member and aspiring sports journalist Abi Curran, who shadowed our team on the day.

 

Enthusiasm

The charismatic Chelsea manager Emma Hayes OBE brought proceedings to a close with a fascinating glimpse of her coaching methods and values and an interrogation of Women in Football CEO Yvonne Harrison.

Emma tweeted: "#WIFBeInspired amazing day for everyone to share ideas, network and grow. Superb to see how far the organisation has come."

After prolonged applause, it was over to the networking and refreshments session, where the energy and enthusiasm of the delegates continued to ripple through the air.

Delegates readily took to social media to enthuse about the event. London-based grassroots coach Paula Sanchez Sanchez posted on LinkedIn: "Thank you Women in Football for this amazing day, for creating this space, and for reminding me why I do what I do!"

Sports journalist Ruby Malone tweeted: "The most incredible day at the #WIFBeInspired Conference. Feeling ready to take on the world after listening to so many seriously inspiring women speak so openly all day!"

 

Overjoyed

"We were overjoyed by the Women in Football Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays – with both the insights shared by our panelists and the way our delegates responded," said Yvonne Harrison. "The buzz and positivity across Wembley were a huge pay-off for all the hard work that went in to making the conference happen.

"It was so great to see so many women drawing inspiration from each other – we know that when our members share their stories, their confidence grows. This can only benefit both the careers of Women in Football members and the football industry as a whole."

The support of Barclays made it possible for WIF to offer free admission for members – and while demand for places far exceeded capacity, sessions at the conference were captured on video and will shortly become available to view on the Women in Football YouTube channel.

 

Yvonne added: "We're sorry that we couldn't offer a place to everybody who asked for one, but we're already looking forward to another event next year and the opportunities this will bring for even more Women in Football members.

"We're so grateful to our lead partner Barclays for supporting the entire event, and to the organisations that supported our breakout sessions and networking reception – Arnold Clark, Executives in Sport Group, Mishcon de Reya, the Premier League, Sky Sports and Visa."

 

Empowerment

Barclays' Group Head of Sponsorships and Media, Tom Corbett, said: "It was encouraging to see Barclays' #GetOnside pledge come to life at the Be Inspired Conference, and for over 300 delegates to hear from a wide range of speakers on their perspectives of working in the football industry, as a woman."

"We look forward to working with Women in Football on future initiatives, as part of both our ongoing support for WIF and our 20-year partnership with football."

The wave of interest created by the conference was so intense at one point that the web form for new applicants to join Women in Football crashed – but the glitch has since been fixed and the WIF team are ready to welcome new applications.

Joining Women in Football is free for individuals, and gives access to WIF's amazing year-round calendar of online and real-life events, including webinars, round tables, the Leadership Course, and many other networking opportunities around the country.

If you're already a member, and you can think of a friend or colleague who ought to join you in Women in Football, please help us grow our membership in 2022 and #SignHerUp. Remember, male and non-binary supporters are very welcome too.

• Women in Football is inviting expressions of interest from organisations interested in supporting or sponsoring the Be Inspired Conference in 2023. To discuss, please email our Head of Marketing and Commercial, Michelle Dorgan, on michelle@womeninfootball.co.uk.

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