Women in Football are delighted to invite you to the Diversity Matters event in collaboration with the City of Football from 6pm to 9pm on Wednesday 20th April 2016 at Notts County Football Club.
The evening will kick off with a mini workshop, ‘Football needs you: How to get on a Football Board’.
Our chair for the evening’s panel discussion is BBC Sport reporter Jess Creighton.
Our panel include:
Annie Zaidi
Our Women in Football Ambassador Annie was the first South Asian and Muslim woman in her region to get a level two coaching certification badge from the Football Association. After previously being mentored by BACA, the Black and Asian Coaches Association, she became the organisation’s chair in January of this year and is also an ambassador for Sporting Equals. Annie is currently working towards her UEFA B license and is coaching the under 11s at Leicester City Girls’ Centre of Excellence. Annie’s aspiration is to become a fully qualified FA tutor and eventually coach elite players of all genders full-time.
Annie’s biggest challenge so far has been to get those she works with to see beyond her image. As an Asian woman who wears a headscarf she has been subjected to prejudice but does not see this an obstacle. She is determined to work hard and build a career where her coaching does the talking.
Hala Ousta
Our very own Women in Football Board member, Hala is a Public Policy MSc graduate from the University of Glasgow, with previous postgraduate qualifications in Law, Equality and Discrimination. Hala is a keen equalities campaigner who is passionate about football and female participation.
She is currently working for the Scottish FA as an Inclusion and Diversity Officer. Hala specialises in using sport to progress needs-orientated sustainable community engagement, development and coordination of social inclusion and integration programmes working with disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
Hala is a member of several equalities groups and most recently sits on the British Council’s Scotland Advisory Committee and is the Founder and Chair of Inspiring Women Scotland, a female led organisation promoting empowerment and leadership for multicultural young women.
Lisa Rashid
Lisa is a top female referee. She is Birmingham-born and bred and grew up with her English parents and Bangladeshi grandfather. Both parents worked for Aston Villa, where she visited regularly as a child. At the age of 14 Lisa started refereeing and football took over. Lisa has worked in sport for a number of years, starting out as a coach and a physical activity development officer for Sandwell Leisure Trust.
Lisa has also refereed in the Football League this season.
Vivienne Aiyela
Chair of the Anti-Discrimination Disciplinary Panel for the FA since 2013. Vivienne supports a culture of inclusion throughout football and is a keen advocate for English Football’s work in diversity and inclusion and discrimination.
Vivienne also works as a non Executive Director to the Metropolitan Police working closely with the Commissioner, senior management team and middle management teams on the Diversity/Equality and Inclusion agenda covering areas which include discipline, recruitment, gender and race discrimination issues.
Vivienne is an established HR consultant and Co-founder of @FirstStopHR.
Sophie Cook
As a gay transgender woman working in the Premier League Sophie helps businesses to understand the positive contribution of creating an inclusive environment for their LGBT employees and clients. Sophie aims to reduce the fear of change that so often inhibits businesses and individuals ability to reach their full potential.
Ex-RAF, motorbike racer, newspaper editor, Premier League football and rock photographer, self harm and suicide survivor and transgender. Sophie is a patron of Just A Ball Game and LGB&T Dorset Equality Network. Sophie is also a Hate Crime Ambassador for Sussex Police and a member of the Pan-Dorset LGBT Health Advisory Group.
Amanda Chambers – Managing Director, Nottingham City of Football.
Nottingham was awarded the status of the City of Football 2015 and 2016 and up to £1.6million of Sport England/ National Lottery funding.
Amanda has been at the forefront of the project implementing an innovative programme to increase the number of people who are playing football in the city. Key challenges to be met include raising the levels of participation in football in Nottingham promoting the cultural, social, health and educational benefits of football, supporting diversity among those playing football, and creating new initiatives, which can be replicated across other regions in the country.
Previously Amanda was the Head of Leisure and Cultural Development at Derby County Council leading a team of over 100 employees delivering high quality customer focused leisure and cultural services including Health and Wellbeing, Sport Development, Customer Service, Arts and Cultural Development, Marketing and Event Management.
Please note that there will be a charge for future WiF events but this event will be FREE to attend.
If you are not a WiF network member please join here.
A selection of drinks and food will be provided.
Please note there will be a photographer at the event.
Our next event will be in collaboration with Prospect at their National Conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday 10th May 2016 from 5.30pm. The theme will be ‘Develop your understanding of Unions and the benefits of being a Union member’.
Please note: all speakers opinions are their own and do not represent the views of Women in Football. Photography and filming may take place at this event. By attending you are expressing your consent for Women in Football to use your image for any non-commercial purposes they may deem appropriate.
Please note unless specified all Women in Football Events are for those aged 18 years or older
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