Head of people and culture at Club Doncaster, Kirsty Cavanagh, discusses her journey into the world of professional football and her hopes for the next generation of women in the game.
Like most football lovers, Kirsty was introduced to the game by playing it at a young age and her love for it grew when she became part of the Football in the Community scheme.
“The scheme gave people a chance to get into coaching and to continue in football both playing and instructing. That’s where I got the bug,” said Kirsty.
“I’d always watched the men’s team and played for Doncaster Parklands but I really got hooked thanks to a gentleman called Eric Randerson who gave a lot of young people, particularly young females, in Doncaster the support and knowledge needed to stay in football.”
As an adult, Kirsty is keen to embolden the next generation of young female football fans and players to thrive in the professional game.
“When I make New Year’s resolutions, usually it’s about not eating as much chocolate or not drinking as much wine, but this year I made a different pledge and that was to empower more people to get into football,” she added.
“I’m from a working class community in Doncaster and I’m really passionate about making sure that young girls in this borough break those glass doors down and do what they want to do in life.
“There are barriers, but it’s our job to go through those and hopefully make it easier for those who are following in our footsteps.
“International Women’s Day is a great platform to promote our campaign to get more females into the game whether that be as players, coaches, physios, or in admin and media roles.”
