University News Last updated 23 August 2023
The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will help fuel massive interest in the game back in the United Kingdom, says Birmingham City University (BCU) coach development officer and new West Bromwich Albion manager Siobhan Hodgetts-Still.
And she believes that programmes like the one she oversees at BCU, which was awarded Women’s High Performance Centre status by the Football Association last year, will help grow the number of coaches in the region and, in turn, assist the development of the next generation of players.
"If you can see it, you can be it, so the exposure is so important,” said Hodgetts-Still of the huge media coverage generated by the Women’s World Cup, which ended on Sunday with Spain beating England 1-0 in front of a crowd of 75,784 in Sydney and with millions more watching around the globe.
"I was never able to watch the games on the telly when I was younger,” she added. “It's amazing now. You can now get easy access to watch the Women’s World Cup, The Women’s Super League, The Women’s Championship. It's all over social media.
“There's buy-in from clubs as well. That's massive. There are opportunities to play on better pitches, to get better kit, especially women's kit. It can still improve, but it’s definitely got better from when I first started.”
The BCU role is one Hodgetts-Still is ideally suited for. After starting to play football against boys at the age of 11, she is aware of most of the challenges that face the women’s game.
“Around my area, there just weren't any girls' teams, so it was just kicking around with the lads in the park,” she said. “I turned 16 and I went and played for a local girls' team, then started at West Brom, my hometown team.”
Hodgetts-Still started coaching as well, finally deciding it was going to be her main priority following a stint working in Florida in the United States of America.
“It was a different challenge, being out of my comfort zone, living abroad and away from my family,” she said of her time in the US. America gave me the full-time football experience. It was also a great challenge, coaching players three times a week and then taking them to games at the weekend. I thought ‘that's for me’ and never looked back.”
Now, alongside her BCU commitments, the former central midfielder is leading West Bromwich Albion Women in National League Premier North after being appointed manager this summer.
“It was a shock, but it was a good thing,” said Hodgetts-Still, now 34, of her new role. “I wanted to take the opportunity. It was the right time for me to test myself. What better way than with my hometown club.
“Management and coaching are totally different. I’m a big believer in the environment we create for players. It’s important we have a togetherness amongst the team. I think that's really important, especially in the female game.
“I've always been told to work hard and do everything to the best of my ability. That includes treating people the way you would like to be treated and being a good person. I think that's one of the big things really. We're all human.”