Alex Scott has long been a hero of mine. The number of barriers she’s smashed through in football, in media and in her life is remarkable. So you can imagine the sheer giddiness I felt when she came along to Laces to surprise the girls (one her day off which I might add, making her even more of a legend).
Thank you so much to the Female Lead for making this happen.
Over the past 6 months, Hackney Laces has been working with Sisterhood, a brilliant social enterprise that builds confidence in young women, and London Football Journeys, a charity that uses film and football to strengthen communities.
Through workshops and co-design sessions, Sisterhood has worked with the girls teaching them how to film and edit. And, empowering them to tell their stories as female footballers.
There are 146 numbers saved in my phone with the prefix ‘JAFC’ — Just Another Football Club. When I set up Hackney Laces 6 years ago, that’s what we were. A single club for girls in my borough. And now it’s morphed in to so much more.
On Sunday 25th September, at c.220pm I broke my face. I was playing 11-aside football, jumped up for a 50/50 challenge to head the ball and then .. BOOM.
Why is the future female? Because talent has no gender.
Huge thanks to U-dox for producing this and including me beside such inspiring women.
Each year when I reflect on Hackney Laces, I’m still astonished we’ve made it this far. 4 years and we still exist! I hope that this feeling never goes away because there’s still so much work to be done. In keeping with tradition, I’ll share what we’ve learned over the past year.
In a few short weeks, the Laces family will be saying goodbye to Alice. And that’s ok because Alice is moving on. First she’s going to America on a soccer scholarship. Then, the world is hers for the taking. Mark my words (you heard it here first) Alice is going places and where ever those places are, she’ll make them better through her compassion and her infectious energy for life and learning. There’s needs to be a stronger synonym for the word proud so I can use it here. That’s how I feel.
Big thanks to director Miles Langley and photographer Philippa Langley who came along to our Tuesday night kick about to shoot this.
Here are two things I love: Twitter and Football. Together. Only 2 more days before the action starts.
This week we released Hackney Laces’s Annual report. As a community club, transparency and honesty are at the core of what we do. We have made mistakes; we’ve had incredible luck; and most importantly, we’ve learned and grown as individuals and as a club.
An annual review will never fully capture all that we do but we think it’s a good way to shed some light into how we operate. Please have a read and share. And, of course, all suggestions, comments and ideas are welcome.
Football and type are two very wonderful things. This limited edition book designed by Rick Banks looks at football and fonts and the ways they have connected over time, from the numbers and fonts used on the back to shirts to the meanings people prescribe to typography used in the game. And, to make it an even cooler project, it comes with a choice of five different colours, each numbered like a premier league shirt and all proceeds go directly to the Football Foundation – a brilliant organisation that supports grassroots football in the UK. I’m so stoked for mine to arrive.