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Football success hits fever pitch
Autumn 2022 • northumbria.ac.uk Issue 27
L-R: BECKY LANGLEY, GRACE BOYES, GRACE DONNELLY AND LAUREN ROBSON OF NEWCASTLE UNITED WOMEN WITH CO-OWNER OF NUFC, AMANDA STAVELEY
As interest in women’s football surges following the England Lionesses victory against Germany in the Euro 2022 final, Northumbria University is playing an active role in supporting female athletes both on and off the pitch.
Football success hits fever pitch
For more than three years, Head of Women’s Football at Northumbria, Becky Langley, has helped a number of talented female students secure their positions playing for regional football clubs such as Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Newcastle United. Becky’s success in leading the women’s football programme at Northumbria has been so notable that she has now been selected to manage Newcastle United Women (NUW) full-time. Newcastle United Football Club announced in August that the women’s team was under ownership of the Club for the first time in its history, after a formal restructuring. Becky told Northumbria University News: “I think the beauty of Northumbria is that there are a lot of different sport-specific courses which link very well into the playing side and the coaching side of women’s football, and that kind of education will enrich the players even more in terms of understanding what goes on behind the scenes to make athletes perform at their best. I would urge people to come to Northumbria because you have the opportunity to train like a full-time athlete, while also getting a world-class education.” Going on to speak about her own footballing success with the NUW team, Becky said: “We’ll have an emerging talent system that will create a legacy in the North East, giving girls in the region a welldefined pathway, with the chance to enjoy playing first and foremost, as well as an opportunity to develop within the club.” Grace Donnelly, a Northumbria alumna who is one of nine current and former students that now play for NUW, has been made team captain for the 22/23 season after being signed by the Club during her second year of study. Grace played football during college and continued her development while studying at Northumbria, where she became the students’ Sport President. Describing her journey to becoming a professional player, Grace said: “Northumbria is a brilliant choice of university and is up there as one of the best in the country for women’s football. The wraparound service of sport physiotherapy, nutrition, psychology and analytics gives students an amazing opportunity to see what competitive football is really about.” Another star of NUW is current student, Kacie Wordingham, who has been selected for the Football Association (FA) Women’s Leadership Programme. Participants are given the chance to develop their skills, confidence, and professional networks through a series of workshops, residential days and networking events delivered at St George’s Park National Football Centre in Staffordshire. Only 12 positions are offered from applications across the UK. Northumbria’s contribution to football in the region is also supported by a number of investments, including a new synthetic 3G pitch which was completed in September. The main floodlit grass pitch with 176 seats at Coach Lane Sports Centre, Newcastle, has been converted into a 3G multisport pitch which can be used for football matches as well as rugby union and league, American football, and lacrosse.
