Over the course of four interviews which have been broadcast throughout International Women’s Day, Wolves TV’s Gemma Frith spoke to female staff members who work in various areas across the club, including with Wolves Academy, at Compton Park, Molineux and on a matchday.
Frith said: “I work with so many talented women at Wolves, day in day out, and hearing the stories of these four women on International Women's Day has been really inspiring.
“We’ve all had different journeys and experiences, but we share a common goal of equality, and I love that at Wolves we have such a strong support network of women who work together to strive for progress and change.”
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Embrace Equity’. This recognises that each person has different circumstances, and requires different resources and opportunities to achieve equality, so Frith spoke to Claire Hakeman, academy operations and administration assistant, about what opportunities there are for women and girls today that didn’t exist when she started as a player. The former Wolves Women defender detailed the depth of change – not just for players, but in education opportunities as well, which can now lead to many different career avenues in women's football.
💬 “There are masses of opportunities for women and girls.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 8, 2023
Claire Hakeman reflects on the changes she has seen from her playing days to working in our academy.#InternationalWomensDay | #IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/aYQ2MRXTkj
Performance head chef, Melissa Forde, who ensures the men’s first-team players have access to the highest level of nutrition possible spoke about opportunities she hopes to create for women in her field. Forde, who has worked incredibly hard to get to where she is today and hopes other women in her field will inspired to also strive for top positions that are traditionally male dominated roles, also described how being a mother is something that particularly drives her to succeed.
What #InternationalWomensDay means to our pack.
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 8, 2023
Shining a light on four of our female staff, who reflect on #IWD2023 and how they’re inspired to shape change at the club.
👩🍳 Performance head chef, Melissa Forde, on rising to the top of her industry. pic.twitter.com/0067m9FtAr
Marketing co-ordinator Amy Willis is one of many staff who manage the matchday experience at Molineux – from the Fan Zone to the pre-match build up, in addition to her day-to-day responsibilities in the marketing department. Willis told Frith that International Women’s Day is an opportunity to reflect and celebrate women and the progress that has been made over several decades, and although she is amazed at how many opportunities there are in football now, she loves that many of those at Wolves are filled by women.
💬 “It’s great to see so many women coming together on a matchday to make it happen.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 8, 2023
Marketing co-ordinator, Amy Willis, on the growing opportunities for women in football.#InternationalWomensDay | #IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/FbQgUfrnPG
Frith also spoke to Sarah Attree, the Stan Cullis Stand manager. Attree has worked on a matchday at Molineux for 16 years, first starting as a steward and then progressing her way through the ranks to her role today. Among the topics she discussed were how International Women’s Day encourages her to think of the strong and inspirational female staff at Wolves she has looked up to throughout her career and have inspired her to progress and succeed, such as the club’s former operations manager Julie Ballinger, while also touching on the external perceptions of stewarding being a male dominated role – but that not being the case at Wolves.
💬 “Past and present, we’ve had strong women in high positions. People who have supported and motivated me throughout my career."
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 8, 2023
🏟 Sarah Attree, Stan Cullis Stand manager.#InternationalWomensDay | #IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/lpWUt3iGVZ
For more information about International Women’s Day and how everyone can Embrace Equity, click here.
