Coventry City are celebrating International Women’s Day today!
IWD is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.
IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people.
Coventry City does a range of work encouraging females to play or to play a role in football – whether as a player, member of staff or supporter – working as a Club to do this and also with our community partners Sky Blues in the Community and Coventry City Women and Girls FC.
We also support the national ‘Her Game Too’ campaign, which was founded by passionate female football fans who are committed to growing the campaign with the aim of fostering an ethos in football in which women are welcomed and respected equally.
Below, we look at some more of the activities which are taking place throughout the year at Coventry City and our community partners.
Coventry City Football Club
Coventry City Football Club is an equal opportunity employer and important roles are held by women right across the Football Club in a range of different functions.
Across Performance, Fitness, Medical, HR, Stewarding, Safeguarding, Supporter Services, Commercial, Hospitality, Ticketing, Retail, Finance and the Academy, women hold vital roles at your Football Club. You will see them every single matchday and non-matchday at Coventry City.
Some of these are not what some people may see as ‘traditional’ roles for women in football, showing how the game and roles in it are changing as we rightly become more inclusive and diverse – both as a sport and as a society – and people are judged and valued for the skills and experience that they bring to their roles.
Women and girls are also increasingly attending Sky Blues matches, and feeling safe to enjoy their matchday as key parts of the Sky Blue Army. The work of the Family Zone, which includes a number of female volunteers, has also supported in encouraging girls and families to attend matches.
We have also supported a number of schemes to improve the environment and inclusivity for female supporters, including the Her Game Too campaign.
Earlier this season, Coventry City Football Club joined forces with Coventry City Council in getting behind a campaign to shine a spotlight on domestic abuse. Players and senior members of the club took a stand and encouraging men to stand up and speak out against domestic abuse in society. They encouraged the boys and men who follow the Sky Blues to be active allies in the fight against misogyny by taking a stand that domestic abuse is everyone’s business.
Earlier this week, we announced our new partnership with Evans for Everyone to provide free sanitary items for supporters on matchdays at the Coventry Building Society Arena - improving the matchday experience and giving confidence for female fans to attend. Click here for info.
Unfortunately, sexist abuse and discrimination can sometimes still happen on matchdays. If it does, we can assure you that we will take action. You can report any incidents to your nearest steward or use our reporting text number in confidence on matchday – the number is 07537 453 117.
We will continue to celebrate the contribution of females to our Football Club - whether as fans, staff or participants with our community partners – and improve the experience and opportunities for them.
Being a female should not be a barrier to participating in football in any way or at any level, and we will continue to tackle sexism and misogyny on matchdays and non-matchdays.
Sky Blues in the Community
Sky Blues in the Community run a range of activities throughout Coventry and Warwickshire for women and girls of all ages.
These include the Girls Player Development Centre, Girls Emerging Talent Centre and also the incredibly popular Holiday Courses, which now have a girl only camp, as well as a range of community activities aimed at adults too.
60 Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre licences have been allocated by the FA, with Sky Blues in the Community being one of them. This will see the number of young female players engaged in FA programmes across the country rise from 1,722 previously to over 4,200 by the end of the 2023-24 season.
These numbers also present a 59% increase based on the actual number of FA programmes, going from 39 programmes to 60, enabling greater access for players across the country.
Thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA unveiled plans last year to grow its talent programme for women’s football with the introduction of up to 70 Girls’ ETCs, aiming to sustain its future and provide a wider and more diverse talent pool for the game.
Meanwhile, the Player Development Centre now have girls only sessions. The Player Development Centre initiative offers advanced football coaching with a technical and tactical focus for children of all footballing abilities and experiences.
Elsewhere, projects such as Dementia Active, Walking Football, the WomenTalk mental health project and others continue to provide activities for females, as well as the range of SBitC projects in schools and various community areas.
There are many female Sky Blues in the Community staff working in a variety of roles - including Sami, who is Marketing & Communications Co-Ordinator at the charity. You can see about her career path to her role at SBitC here.
Coventry City Women and Girls FC
Coventry City Women and Girls FC is a community partner of Coventry City Football Club and Sky Blues in the Community.
Players from the Club were shaking the giant flag on Tuesday for our IWD game as well as acting as ball collectors for the game, giving them a unique and memorable experience.
Our successful partnership with CCWGFC is now in its eight year and we are working more closely together each season with the grassroots club, which is focused on increasing participation and ensuring girls and women enjoy playing football.
Coventry City Girls FC is an FA Charter Standard club, run by volunteers that work tirelessly to raise funds, manage teams and ensure all FA standards are met, while proudly wearing the Sky Blues badge.
They were founded in 1995 and now have expanded to 16 teams ranging from Under-9 to up to the Women’s First-Team.
The first-team recently progressed to the Final of the Birmingham County FA Women’s Vase, following a 2-0 win over Tamworth FC Women. The team play their home matches at Sky Blues in the Community’s all-weather hub at President Kennedy School (CV6 4GL).
The purpose of the Club is to provide an enhanced grassroots football experience for women and girls in the local community, and each week young girls and women are being given that opportunity thanks to Coventry City Women and Girls FC with training sessions and matches taken place each week.
Laina Tebbutt, who is President of Coventry City Girls and Women FC, is also a trustee of Sky Blues in the Community, further strengthening our links. Each week, we include a page about the Club in our matchday programme PUSB too.
The Club values are:
COURAGE – we are brave when trying new experiences.
CONFIDENCE – we feel sure of ourselves and our abilities.
WILLINGNESS – we have a desire to learn.
GROWTH – we strive for improvement.
FUTURE – we are building a clear pathway.
COMMITMENT – we are dedicated to achieving our goals
There are a range of opportunities to get involved with the Club – be it as a player, coach, volunteer, sponsor or supporter.
You can see more about CCGFC on their website: https://www.ccwgfc.co.uk/
For any more information regarding the Club, please contact info@ccwgfc.co.uk
Coventry City Owner and Executive Chairman Doug King said:
“We’re very pleased to show our support for International Women’s Day 2024.”
“Women of course play a critical role across our Football Club in a range of jobs, including senior leadership roles, and we celebrate their contribution to the Sky Blues. Through our community partners, women and girls are having more opportunities to actively participate in football too, which is fantastic to see and our Club will continue to support this in every way in the years ahead.
“We are also making the matchday experience a more positive and inclusive experience for ladies and girls as the Club continues to strive for an environment that encourages not only excitement and emotion but also respect and consideration.
“We will always continue our support for IWD, which alongside other initiatives we have backed, all contribute towards our goal of Coventry City matches being great experiences for women, great experiences for girls and not to be missed!”
