WHITEHAVEN football coach believes more people should be giving women and girls football the spotlight it deserves and is pioneering the sport in Cumbria.

Rob Campbell started off as a coach for his daughters football club. Within 18 months, he had taken over as lead coach and from that point he had realised that girls football needed better support. Rob started building the first full girls pathway from under 16 girls to ladies football in the county.

Rob also joined as a Girls Rep in West Cumbria for the FA and then West Cumbria Youth League to help support and grow the female game, not just at Whitehaven but beyond.

He then brought the Whitehaven Lionesses & Lions festival to the club, which unlike many other football festivals, who bolt girls on at the end, he started as a girls festival to begin with. Once developed into mixed teams, it is now one of the largest festivals in the area.

Rob led the restart of the club after COVID by getting the teams back playing football which was a huge undertaking with such a fluid situation and lots of conflicting information at times, but Rob is proud of his achievement.

Rob spoke about his experience as a coach since getting involved, saying:

"Little did I know it would take up my entire life, but in a very good way."

"I am so pleased I started as I have met so many new people and had so many great experiences as well as difficult ones which I have also embraced and it has helped me grow as a person."

Rob was lucky enough to take around 100 girls and parents to Old Trafford to see the opening game Women Euros game against Austria. He also went to Wembley with his family to watch the final. Rob said:

"It was quite emotional if I’m honest and even the days later watching the news and seeing the lionesses getting plaudits, I got a lump in your throat."

He reflected on how the win has changed the way the sport is viewed:

"I think for ours girls it has shown that females can do anything they put their minds to so just believe in yourselves and break down barriers."

Whilst Rob thinks the growth of the womens football scene has been 'amazing' he still thinks there is work to do as the girls league do not match those of their male counterparts. This is something Rob is passionate about changing.

Ron encourages more girls to get involved in coaching, not just football. The FA have courses to support coaches, and teams like his have their own in-house training. Rob said:

"I’d say dip your toe in and see how you like it, I don’t think you’d regret it."

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