Marvin OnumonuThe Football Association of Wales (FAW) welcomed 36 new mentors and mentees to Dragon Park, Newport, to launch the fourth year of the Be. Football mentoring programme.
The scheme is aimed at supporting young women with their career progression in football, offering mentoring and skills workshops.
Mentees include those looking for their first job in football and those hoping to move into more senior positions on or off the pitch.
In 2024, the programme included 16 mentees from across Welsh football and 16 mentors from the FAW and its partners.
To start the day, mentees took part in a ‘This is me’ and ‘Shaping our Environment’ workshop run by Carys Ingram, equality diversity inclusion and sustainability executive at the FAW.
Mentors joined a session with Claire Ewing from Pause, Play, Perform, focusing on preparing for their role and reflecting on their own careers.
Both groups completed a content capture challenge to identify what makes someone inspirational. Mentors and mentees then had one-to-one meetings to plan their next steps in the programme.
Laura McAllister, UEFA vice president and executive committee member, held a Q&A session, giving advice on working in a male-dominated industry and discussing the growth of women’s football and Cymru’s opportunity in the women’s 2025 euros.
Angharad Evans, a mentee, said: “It was great to spend the day surrounded by likeminded women who all share the same passion and drive, and I can’t wait to get to know everyone during the course of the programme.
“I’m looking forward to working with my mentor who is a fantastic inspiration and I know already that there’s so much I can learn from her.
“Hopefully, the next 7 months will be about learning new skills, meeting new people and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.”
