Barclays to become Lead Partner of Women in Football

Women in Football (WiF) and Barclays have announced a new three-year partnership where Barclays will expand its role as Lead Partner of the professional women’s network.

Barclays partnership will help WiF to grow its reach and offer, expand its highly regarded leadership course to more levels and deliver it across the country in the major centres of football employment - helping to upskill, empower and connect more women working in and around football, the first of which will be in Manchester, week commencing 10 February 2020. In addition, Barclays’ support will enable WiF to hold its first ever Career Development Conference in 2020.

WiF chair, Ebru Köksal, said: "We are delighted to have established this three-year agreement with Barclays. We have a long-standing working relationship with Barclays, who have been unwavering in their support of the work of Women in Football. This commitment presents us with a fantastic opportunity to push forward with great momentum, offering opportunities, training and support for girls and women in and around the football industry."

WiF CEO, Jane Purdon, explained: "This is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in the football industry. The rate of change in the game is phenomenal. Barclays’ support enables us to further extend our programme of expert knowledge-sharing and provision of opportunities via courses and roadshows across the UK. They have made an unprecedented commitment to football as a whole – men’s and women’s – and we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with them for the next three years."

Tom Corbett, Head of Group Sponsorship for Barclays, said: "Women in Football has come a long way since it was established over ten years ago, and I am proud that we have been a partner for most of that time. However, they are now growing rapidly and playing an increasingly important role in football and it is right that we increase our involvement to reflect this.

"Earlier this year, we launched our record-breaking sponsorship of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and the FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships that aims to give girls greater access to football in schools. Inspired by the Women in Football #WhatIf campaign launched in 2018, to encourage businesses, celebrities and members of the public to identify one way that they could take action to contribute to an improvement for women and girls within the football industry, we are delighted that The Football Association (FA) made a pledge to give all girls access to football by 2024 – something we were only too pleased to support. Together with our long-term partnership with the Premier League this all helps us deliver on our ambition to create opportunities with football."

Women in Football was set up 12 years ago by a small group of friends and colleagues to give support to women in the industry, helping challenge practices that put barriers in the way of women developing their careers, whilst offering professional and practical support. From those humble beginnings it has developed into an organisation with over 3,000 members with the aims of celebrating women's achievement, plus challenging discrimination and sharing professional expertise. To find out more and register go to www.womeninfootball.co.uk

The new partnership starts on November 2019 and will continue for three years through October 2022.