The spark  

There are a million reasons why you should start a women-only football club. But my personal history with the sport is what drove me to make this club a success at Hult. I started playing as a kid back in Germany and I was the only girl. Back then there were no female-only teams or spaces, just football—and football was for boys. It can be an isolating experience, but I came out stronger and more determined to keep my new hobby. 

Fast-forward 

I’ve been with the team for around 3 years now. Right from my first semester at Hult London all the way to my graduation in a few weeks! It’s changing all the time, and the club is only just getting started.  

The first thing you have to understand is that we’re not a team in the traditional sense of the word. We don’t have a rigid starting eleven, and neither do we have designated subs. We are a club first and foremost of around 30 members. We play seven A-side here in East London or sometimes five A-side, depending on the numbers. 

Doing football differently  

There’s a men’s team on campus that’s successful. They focus on winning and are competitive with other universities. Our vibe is different. Women’s football still doesn’t have the investment or coverage the men’s game has. For that reason, we choose to create a culture of inclusivity and training. For us, the social aspect of meeting new people, having productive downtime, and learning a new skill is so important. It’s why we have training sessions and off-pitch social events all the time. Remember the point of playing football is to have fun! 

New recruits  

As I said, much of what we do is training-based, so I must be on top of my game to induct some of the new recruits. While I was lucky enough to get to experience football back in Germany, a lot of the people who join us have never kicked a ball. We have an open-door policy, which means as long as you’re female-identifying and keen to play, you are welcome. Maybe you can come along to a social as a taster. We like to watch games together and go out to eat, it’s all a part of the same club culture.   

Togetherness  

Speaking of watching the game, we watched the Euros and the Copa America all together. With such a diverse student body, we had supporters from all over the world, although our Spanish-speaking friends were happiest after it was all over! Seeing such young players as Yamine Lamal and Jude Bellingham was quite inspirational. Football will always grow and develop, and I look forward to seeing what the future of women’s football particularly holds. 

Doing my part 

Women’s football is certainly on the rise in popularity but there’s still a long way to go. What we can do at Hult is push the club as far as we can. We use social media and TikTok trends to put ourselves out there. I’m even thinking of expanding the club into the postgraduate campus as I’ll likely be heading there in the next year to do a Master’s in Marketing. All in all, Hult Women’s Football isn’t going anywhere.