Last week saw the launch of year 3 of the FAW’s BE. Football: Mentoring Programme at Dragon Park, Newport.
The programme aims to aid the career progression of young women in football through workshops designed to enhance their skillset and confidence. Mentees include those who are interested in starting their first job in football or those looking to progress to a more senior role on or off the pitch.
The FAW welcomed 32 new mentors and mentees to Dragon Park to kickstart their journeys on the programme. The BE. Football: Mentoring Programme saw great success in 2023 with 15 mentees from across the Welsh football family and 15 mentors from across the FAW and the association’s trusted partners taking part.
The mentees took part in a ‘This is ME’ workshop with Lowri Roberts, founder of Play With Purpose, to help the women identify their strengths and values; meanwhile the mentors were taken through their session with Claire Ewing from Pause, Play, Perform to equip them with the tools for their journey as a mentor.
Everyone participated in a content capture exercise for the “I am passing the phone to” challenge after lunch. They were empowered to identify what made them an inspiring person. The mentees and mentors then spent one-to-one time together to map out their next few months on the programme.
Finally, to close the day Alys Carton, FAW Independent Chair, participated in a Q&A with the guests where she gave advice on how to be a leader and gave advice on being a woman in a male-dominated industry.
Eiri Pitman, year 3 mentee said: “I’m so excited to be a part of this year’s BE. Football Mentoring Programme. It’s such an uplifting and inspiring environment and being surrounded by so many talented individuals is great.
“I cannot wait to start working with my mentor and to have this kind of opportunity for women and girls in Wales is truly amazing! It will play a huge part in shaping a more inclusive workplace for women in football.”
Interested in joining the programme? Applications for the 2025 BE. Football Mentoring Programme will open in January 2025!
