Lewes school encourages more girls to play football and funds new changing rooms

From left: pupils Harry Westgate and Theo Light, player Rhian Cleverly, Ruairi Lamont, player Katie Rood, teacher Murray Heywood, and pupils Theo Ncube and Louis Anderson

. Photograph taken by Simon Dack, Vervate. — From left: pupils Harry Westgate and Theo Light, player Rhian Cleverly, Ruairi Lamont, player Katie Rood, teacher Murray Heywood, and pupils Theo Ncube and Louis Anderson . Photograph taken by Simon Dack, Vervate.

Pupils from Lewes Old Grammar School (LOGS), which funded the new facilities, unveiled the new changing rooms with Lewes Football Club players Rhian Cleverly and Katie Rood.

It is hoped the new hut at the club’s 3G synthetic training pitch, on Mountfield Road, will make changing before training easier and faster.

Lewes FC, also known as The Rooks, were the first semi-professional or professional club in the world to pay female team players the same amount as male players.

Lewes FC players open the new changing rooms with Lewes Old Grammar pupils.
Left, back: Charlie Dobres Lewes FC director, player Rhian Cleverly, school pupil Ruairi Lamont, player Katie Rood, and LOGS teacher Murray Heywood. Front: Theo Light, Harry Westgate, Louis Anderson, and Theo Ncube.

Photograph by Simon Dack, Vervate. — Lewes FC players open the new changing rooms with Lewes Old Grammar pupils. Left, back: Charlie Dobres Lewes FC director, player Rhian Cleverly, school pupil Ruairi Lamont, player Katie Rood, and LOGS teacher Murray Heywood. Front: Theo Light, Harry Westgate, Louis Anderson, and Theo Ncube. Photograph by Simon Dack, Vervate.

Players now coach girls at LOGS and give talks about equal opportunities and football during school assemblies to get more girls involved with the sport.

Lewes FC director Charlie Dobres said: “We are extremely grateful for LOGS’ support in having a shelter and changing room space right next to the 3G pitch.

“This can now be used by all of Lewes’ community groups and clubs who play on the 3G.

“We applaud the school’s commitment to expanding their girls’ football coaching and we see it as a really significant move to integrate this into the curriculum as well as after school clubs.”

Head of GCSE PE at the school Catherine Hyland, who has been playing football for 26 years, said: “All the girls at the school now play football in PE.

“We now have teams competing against other schools and I can see that there is real talent there.

“It’s about time people realized that girls can be just as passionate and talented at this game as boys.”