Former England Women's captain Faye White honoured with plaque in Broadbridge Heath

Today (Tuesday, June 14), the campaign made its way to Horsham, specifically The Bridge Leisure Centre in Broadbridge Heath, to honour ex-England captain Faye White MBE, a Lionesses legend associated closely with the Horsham District, as part of the ‘Where Greatness is Made’ campaign.

The campaign has been set up to celebrate the lives and careers of some of the iconic women who have captained England to date, from Sheila Parker, who captained the side against Scotland in the first official England game in 1972, to Steph Houghton, who led the team to third place at the 2015 World Cup, their best performance to date.

White, who was born in Horley, is a highly-respected role model in women’s football and her contribution to the game was recognised in 2007 when she was awarded an MBE, and also in 2015 when she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

White is a former England international footballer who captained the Lionesses intermittently from 2002-2012 whilst battling through injuries, yet still held a record 90 caps and scored 12 goals.

In 2009, White led England to the final of Euro 2009 in Helsinki, Finland, where the team lost out to reigning World and European Champions, Germany. She wore a protective face mask in the final after breaking her cheekbone in the quarter-final win over Finland in Turku, just six days after having surgery.

With a Lioness career spanning 15 years, she was one of the few players to win both league titles and the FA Cup across three different decades.

In her early career she trained on the pitches at Broadbridge Heath and played for Broadbridge Heath Ladies and Horsham Ladies before being selected for Arsenal and then the national side.

The ’Where Greatness is Made’ campaign is honouring captains with a commemorative plaque in their hometown community which will serve as a permanent reminder of their inspirational stories and the importance of mutual respect for all on and off the pitch. White’s plaque has been erected at The Bridge Leisure Centre.

White said: “I was really excited when Nationwide got in touch with me about my plaque, it was an honour to wear the captain’s armband for my country and respect was something I always aimed to instil amongst my teammates whenever I did.

"It’s amazing to be involved with a campaign like this that focuses on championing equality and respect. I hope the ‘Where Greatness Is Made’ campaign will emphasise that everyone starts somewhere and serve to nurture respect in our next generation of footballers.”

Horsham District Council deputy leader, Councillor Tony Hogben, said: “On behalf of Horsham District Council I would like to say that we are extremely proud of Faye and all that she has achieved for our local community and for football.

"It is only fitting that her considerable achievements are being recognised today at The Bridge Leisure Centre in Broadbridge Heath where she used to train and where she played her first football matches.”

Nationwide and England Football are working with local councils and grassroots football clubs to install the plaques in a notable place in the captains’ hometowns.

Each one will include a QR code that will link through to an interactive map and website which will feature the stories of each of the captains being celebrated and shine a light on the communities where their greatness was made.

This initiative follows last year’s hugely successful ‘Coin for Respect’ campaign and is part of Nationwide’s pledge to ensure one million players, parents and coaches get involved with the England Football Respect campaign by 2023.

As part of the campaign, a series of videos showcasing the current and former players’ grassroots football heritage will be released, which looks at their inspiring stories, the communities they grew up in and the people who inspired them to achieve their goals.

The captain is someone who embodies respect for teammates and supporters alike, playing a vital role in promoting equality and acting as the ultimate role model for younger generations.

It is hoped that these videos can help inspire future generations of footballers and encourage a more respectful society by promoting the importance of equality and respect in football.

The videos will be hosted by journalist and sports presenter, Emma Jones, who recently began fronting Premier Sports rugby league coverage and has a wealth of experience in the sporting world. Jones has always championed respect and equality in sport and knows what it’s like to work in an industry that has traditionally been dominated by men. The videos will be released regularly on Nationwide’s social channels in the build-up to the summer.

Jones said: “I feel honoured that I was asked to be part of such a special campaign. Women’s football and women’s sport in general is going from strength to strength and it’s great to be involved in something that will hopefully inspire a lot of people around the country, not only to play sport but also to dream bigger and to be more respectful to one another.

"I’m thrilled to be part of telling the inspiring stories of these women and can’t wait to see the positive impact it’s going to have.”

As well as the ‘Where Greatness is Made’ campaign, Nationwide and England Football will be taking a giant flag on tour to local communities and grassroots clubs in the run-up to the tournament to collect messages of support and encouragement from across the country. The giant flag will be delivered to the Lionesses ahead of their first fixture against Austria.

The building society also plans to give out a series of Mutual Respect Grants, launching a landing page where people can add their signature to the website to show their support for mutual respect for all. Each signature adds £1 to the total with 50, £1000 grants to be awarded by the end of the year.

Director of advertising and marketing at Nationwide Building Society, Paul Hibbs said: “We’re delighted to be working with England Football once again to promote mutual respect, both on and off the pitch.

"At Nationwide, mutual respect has always been a core value to us, so we are incredibly proud to be able to drive such a positive message and promote equality, respect and inclusivity in society.”

James Kendall, director of football development at The FA, added: “Respect is an essential component of football, not just for professionals, but also at a grassroots level and everything in between.

"Our England captains always lead by example and are a symbol of respect, so it’s only fitting that they drive this positive message forward and help promote mutual respect both on and off the pitch.”

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