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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-England international relishes seeing better representation for young girls in football
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat Former England international Carly Telford loves hearing young girls talk about female role models in football having grown-up with only men visible at elite level in sport. Telford, from County Durham, achieved 27 caps in an England shirt and appeared in three FA Cup finals with Leeds United, Chelsea and Notts County. Advertisement She lacked visible representation during her youth but since taking on her post-playing role working at Chelsea Women as a Commercial Manager, she can see new opportunities for young girls. 'I basically didn't have any female role models until I was a lot older,' she said. 'If I was asked that question as a youngster, I would have said David Beckham or David Ginola. 'I was in a school last week, and we were doing the trophy tour for the FA Cup. I sat down next to a group of girls, and I said, 'Oh, who are your role models?' and they said Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Lauren James and that is just so normal for them. Advertisement 'To see them writing their names down, wishing them good luck, it's just so inspiring for them to be like, I see myself in her, or I want to be like her one day.' A study by Sure in 2024 found that 58% of girls say that having a female role model strengthens their passion for football. Telford, who was part of a panel discussing the issue at Stamford Bridge this week, has been able to become the role model for others that she never had, spending eight years at WSL heavyweights Chelsea during her career. 'It's mad. I sometimes forget it, until someone's like, 'Can you sign my T-shirt? Can you sign my boot?','' she said. Advertisement 'It's almost like a responsibility as well in the best kind of way. I didn't want to be a footballer for any other reason, I just loved it. I genuinely do. If you ask most of the girls who play the game, it's all for the love of it. 'The responsibility that comes with that is to always turn up as who you are, because there's always going to be a young girl, a group of girls that will be like, 'Oh, I sound like her, I look like her, I play the position she does.' 'Not all of us have a smooth journey. Just because when you get to the top, it looks like it's all great, and Instagram and TikTok can make it look all fun, actually it's a difficult role. 'There's a lot of rejection, sometimes confidence is low, you're not selected. There's a lot of things that you have to deal with but that also helps you prepare for life outside.' Advertisement For Telford, that authenticity is key in allowing girls to connect with players and create role models who speak to wider aspects of life beyond elite football. 'Role models should allow girls to aspire to be Lionesses and want to be the best of the best, but also empower them to feel confident, to feel like they can do it, and that gives them life skills in the longer term as well,' she added. Visibility plays a vital role in inspiring young girls in sports, but it alone isn't enough. Increased visibility needs to be paired with real world grassroots investment – like Sure's Breaking Limits Programme – find out more here
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ground-breaking panel at Stamford Bridge demonstrates importance of role models
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat A ground-breaking panel featuring former internationals has come together to emphasise the need for girls to have authentic female role models in sport. The speakers, who included former Chelsea and England 'keeper Carly Telford and Girls United coach and manager Abigail Ingram, joined forces at the Sure Breaking Limits Pitch Day to advocate for more female role models in elite sport. Advertisement It was a timely discussion following research that shows half of UK girls have very few or no female role models in sport. 'Role models are so important. It's not just for girls, it's for everyone, but where girls are different is that there just aren't as many role models,' said Emily Heath, Brand Director at Rexona. 'We all remember from when we were kids that teacher or that community worker or even that famous athlete that we looked up to or that person that helped you believe that you could do something. 'The role we're trying to do is to act in a way that we can facilitate and draw attention to all the role models needed within the sport on a wider scale, but also the ones that are already there. Advertisement 'Role models have so much potential to create something where you truly just believe that you can do something and that shouldn't be underestimated.' Sure has partnered with Chelsea FC to tell the stories of iconic players like Lucy Bronze and Lauren James to change those statistics for the better. They are also intent on ensuring those stories create change at grassroots level with the Breaking Limits day also seeing children take to the Stamford Bridge pitch for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 'We're trying to ensure that to bring that authentic voice back to Sure is to put a spotlight on more people than just say the ambassadors,' explained Heath. Advertisement 'We put the spotlight on the likes of Lucy Bronze and bring her story to life, but we also try to put a spotlight and hear the voices of those within the community, whether that's our NGO partners, the coaches working behind the scenes, or the schoolteachers that are helping young kids start in their physical education journey.' In part, that wider reach comes back to hearing authentic stories from the likes of Telford, James and Bronze. The research also showed that UK girls were most inspired by role models' personality and real-life challenges as they sought authentic heroes to look up to. 'Girls really look at role models for multidimensional skills,' added Heath. 'They're taking away the resilience, the determination or the hard work those individuals show. Advertisement 'It's really about that full journey of what's got them there and what they can take away from that.' Telford, who now works as a Commercial Manager for Chelsea Women, added: 'I was in a school last week, and we were doing the trophy tour for the FA Cup. 'I sat down next to a group of girls, and I said, 'Oh, who are your role models?' and they said Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Lauren James and that is just so normal for them. 'To see them writing their names down, wishing them good luck, it's just so inspiring for them to be like, I see myself in her, or I want to be like her one day.' Visibility plays a vital role in inspiring young girls in sports, but it alone isn't enough. Increased visibility needs to be paired with real world grassroots investment – like Sure's Breaking Limits Programme – find out more here
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's Rugby World Cup already exceeding expectations says tournament director Massey
By Milly McEvoy, Sportsbeat The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup is already exceeding expectations with 100 days to go until the tournament kicks off, says tournament director Sarah Massey. More than 300,000 tickets had already been sold before the latest round of ticket sales began on Wednesday morning. It means that the tournament has already sold more than double the total number of tickets bought for the previous edition in New Zealand three years ago. 'We are exceeding expectations across all of our objectives,' Massey said. 'So everything that we set out to do, the ambition that we had, we are exceeding that. 'With 100 days to go, there is still a lot of work to do. We are busy working with all our host locations, our stakeholders, with the RFU on our legacy programme, with UK Sport. 'There are a huge number of people involved in what we are trying to do and trying to achieve, but we are ahead of expectations and are really excited for what is going to happen in a few months.' The tournament begins on 22 August with hosts England taking on the USA at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, one of two non-rugby stadiums to be used across the 2025 edition. The success of the tournament means that the opener is the only game remaining with tickets to watch England in the group stages of the tournament. The final on 27 September has also sold out of its allocation, meaning there is a potential to sell out the venue for a women's match for the first time ever. Massey added: 'Ticket sales have been amazing, the fact that we have sold this many tickets this far out from the event and have still got 100 days to go. 'Obviously, when we get to those knockout stages, we don't know which teams will be in those knockout stages, but when we do know where those teams fall, there will be lots more tickets being bought. 'We went on sale at 9am on Wednesday morning, and there were already thousands in the ticket queue before the platform opened. 'We know the momentum the ticket sales are gaining across our eight iconic host locations across the country, and those communities are getting involved and building excitement. It is going to be incredible.' Massey was speaking as the new Women's Rugby World Cup trophy was revealed at Battersea Power Station. The new and bigger trophy is another example of the greater investment and interest in women's rugby. She said: 'This tournament will be era-defining in terms of the profile it gets on the BBC, it will be era-defining in terms of the standard we have been able to provide for those players and teams once they get here. 'We have been raising standards, making sure that we can provide the platform that they can thrive and perform at their best. 'We have got 16 teams who are all busy preparing and putting in so much work to be at their best when they are here. 'And it is going to be era-defining in terms of the number of people we have now engaged in women's rugby. 'Whether this is as an official, as a coach, as a player, or just want to engage as a fan and engage with so many of our powerful personalities that we have.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Women's Rugby World Cup trophy unveiled for 2025 tournament on 100 days to go
By Milly McEvoy, Sportsbeat A new Women's Rugby World Cup trophy that symbolises growth and player power has been revealed with 100 days to go until the 2025 edition of the tournament. The new trophy was unveiled at Battersea Power Station by two former champions, Rachel Burford and Gill Burns. Both were part of a player consultation group around replacing the previous trophy which had been used between 1998 and 2022. 'It was a discussion after the World Cup in 2022 and we were just talking about the power and the influence and the growth of the women and girls' game,' Sally Horrox, director of women's rugby at World Rugby, said. 'And what we could do around this competition in 2025 to really celebrate that. This is a global celebration of rugby and the biggest global celebration of women's rugby ever so we were looking at different ways to mark this moment. 'One of which is having the final at Allianz Stadium, another is the record-breaking ticket sales, and this trophy is part of that. 'It is a symbolic moment that reflects that power, the growth and the momentum.' The trophy, which stands at 36cm and weighs 4.5kg, is made of sterling silver but, unlike the previous trophy, is gold-plated, linking it to the Webb Ellis Cup, the men's Rugby World Cup trophy. The decision to upgrade the piece of silverware, as well as its design, was made in consultation with the players and sees it keep the two handles, which were a defining feature of the previous cup. That trophy had come under critique for being small, however, Horrox insisted that was not behind the decision for a new design. She added: 'That wasn't the driving force behind the change because if you spoke to the players that did lift the trophy – and we did consult them – it had a hugely special place in their heart. 'It is a fair observation on the size, but when we spoke to players, it meant a great deal to them. 'But what they also recognised was that this moment now in 2025 is really a pivot point and a point at which we start to look forward to where the game will go, can go, should go. 'And they wanted to take the opportunity to mark the moment and do something that looked forward. 'It is more about looking forward to the size of the opportunity that looks ahead of us.' Former England players Burford and Burns were joined by New Zealand legends Fiao'o Fa'amausili and Farah Palmer as part of a nine-player consultation group. Burford was part of the most recent England team to lift the trophy in 2014 and was pleased to see elements of the old design kept in the new one. She said: 'We've had some really good player consultations with a number of former captains who have lifted the trophy. 'It is one of those things that, at the time and in the moment, that former trophy means so much to so many people. 'But it was really important that we kept parts of that trophy in this one. It is almost celebrating and remembering and honouring that history being built into this new era, this new bold, exciting, huge, new trophy. 'It shows the space for women's rugby. These are the moments that are really important to be celebrated.'
