As a BA (Hons) Football Business & Media student at UCFB Wembley, Chloe Atkins has been working closely with UCFB’s partners and advocates of women in football, She Kicks. Here, she shares what the internship has involved so far, how it’s opened many doors in the industry and what sets working in women’s football apart from men’s…
I met Jen O’Neill, editor of She Kicks, for the first time in October 2021 as I was awarded the She Kicks Scholarship from UCFB. Right away, I was presented with the opportunity to attend the 50th Women’s FA cup Final at Wembley stadium in the Press Box.
I couldn’t think of a better place to have my first media experience. More recently, when I expressed to Jen an interest in coverage of the Arnold Clark Cup she went out of her way to make it possible for me. I experienced all three days of competition at Riverside, Carrow Road & Molineux as well as having three articles published to the She Kicks website. I also orchestrated a social media takeover on the She Kicks Instagram during the tournament.
The She Kicks Scholarship has provided me with such incredible opportunities to learn about media within women’s football and work alongside big names in the industry, like Jen, as well as meeting other journalists from respected organisations. It was an amazing feeling to have my name printed as contributor in issue 70 of the magazine, as well as having multiple articles posted.
I’m was also very excited to conduct my first interview with professional players this week at Arsenal Women’s Colney training ground. I felt like a kid in a candy shop being able to go to the training ground and interview players from the club I support. It was a fantastic opportunity to do professional interviews but also get to watch and work beside some big names such as EA Sports, UEFA, 90 mins and The Athletic.
What advice would Arsenal & Matilda ace Caitlin Foord give to young women looking to play or work in football, asked @ucfb student & SK scholar @ChloeAtkinssss? ⤵️🙏🏻 #IWD2022 #womeninfootball pic.twitter.com/DZxEMONr7y
— She Kicks - women's football magazine (@SheKicksMag) March 8, 2022
The day was simply amazing and I will never forget it - fingers are crossed for more in the future. Some of the interviews will be used in She Kicks issue 73 as well as online publications, so keep an eye out to see what we talked about.
Growing up playing sport and now transitioning into working as a woman in sport has presented challenges, but without those challenges I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It’s important to believe in yourself and be confident in your abilities. It’s also important to continue to promote the female game; the women’s football industry has so much potential and will only continue to grow. I have personally found it to be a friendly environment where people are willing to work together and help each other out. At the end of the day, everyone is working in collaboration to see the women’s game grow.
My time so far, both at UCFB and working with She Kicks, has been amazing. I’m looking forward to what the future holds!