Week Notes | 30 October

It’s been one of those whackamole weeks with lots of urgent things popping up needing addressing, but I’m trying still to make sure there’s time for future planning, otherwise you can get bogged down in just being reactive.

What I did

• Navigated stormy COVID waters. With infections in women’s football rising (the FA reported 10 new infections this week, up from a previous high of 2), every headache, cough, body ache becomes an urgent priority to protect players and staff. This isn’t going to decline any time soon, but is a huge juggling act.
• Prepped for our home game v Liverpool. This involved constant weather forecast monitoring and a pitch walk or two to assess conditions. We’re keen to see if we can make it 5 clean sheets in a row but Liverpool have scored 11 goals in just 5 games so far, so even though we are equal on points, it’s going to be a tough feat (Watch live on Sunday! 12pm Kick-off www,lewesfc.com/live). Lots of journalists are interested in this game and we’re also going to be on the FA Player. Fingers crossed for a strong Lewes showing.
• Started costing out 3 scenarios (baseline, target, aspirational) for our dual career pathway and leadership academy for next season. This involved talking to the FA, presenting to the Board and talking to players at academy age about what’s missing from programmes right now. When I close my eyes and think about how good it could be, it’s a really good feeling!
• Talked through the rationale behind specific targets in the new FA’s Diversity Code, with the lead at the FA. I like the fact that there is an annual reporting requirement in it, as that will definitely help push the dial. It’ll still be tough for us to implement but we have to step up. Here’s a piece on why we are taking part.
• Had a preliminary conversation with researchers at the Uni of Chichester looking to deepen the evidence base around female footballers and the impact of heading. There is so much research out there that has never taken women’s physiology into consideration so where we can help we’ll help.
• Also kicked up a gear in my Equal Playing Field sideline — yes, we were going to take 2020 off, but maybe sometimes, Guinness World Record attempts are there to be had! We’re going to be supporting one of our players, Deena try to break the existing world record for the highest number of penalties taken in 24 hours. She’s already an endurance athlete, so she’s going to try and….. quadruple the current record. Yes, indeed. Ever wanted a Guinness World Record yourself? We’re looking for partners so drop me a line. It’s taking place in Bahrain on Guinness World Record Day (18th Nov in case you didn’t know).

PS

I can’t take any credit at all for the club’s brilliant work to bring free school lunches to kids in need in Lewes. This was a fan’s proposal that was very quickly activated and a huge number of volunteers (including players, Directors, matchday volunteers, coaches) came on board immediately, with offers of financial support, or support to cook, serve and clean.