Sunday 2nd April 2023 2:00pm – Barclays Women’s Championship – The Dripping Pan

Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s Barclays Women’s Championship game against Coventry United. Here is your complimentary e-programme

JOIN THE TEAM

NOTES FROM THE CHAIR

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s Barclays Championship game against Coventry United. I hope our guests from the East Midlands enjoy our hospitality and have a safe journey home.

It’s been a busy two weeks.  Last time we were here we hosted Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-final in front of a record crowd.  Whilst I know we will be playing today in front of a fair few less I hope that some of you are visiting us again after getting your first taste of football here at the Pan after that game.  

I was so proud of the club that day both on and off the pitch.  So much hard work went into creating a memorable fan experience and it was great to see so many smiling faces!  

We gave a fantastic account of ourselves on the pitch and scored the goal of the game, thanks to Emily’s effort from the edge of the box.  Whilst United win 3-1, we came away knowing we had matched them for long periods of the game.

The weather was also very kind to us for that game, something that couldn’t be said for Wednesday’s trip to Charlton Athletic.  Quite how that game ended I don’t know with standing water in many areas of the pitch proving to be difficult, if not unplayable at times late in the game.  

Sandwiched between those defeats was an excellent win at Sheffield United, completing a trio of away wins against teams who play in red and white stripes (Sunderland and Southampton being the other two), with another couple of goals from top scorer, defender turned attacker, Ellie Mason.

Ellie, along with Rebecca, will be off on international duty with Northern Ireland this week who face Wales on Thursday, whilst Sophie Whitehouse has been rewarded for her excellent form this season with a first call up to the Republic of Ireland squad as they face two games against the world champions, USA.  Congratulations, good luck and safe travels to all of our players off on international duty this week.

We’ve got five games to go including today and the chance to finish in our highest ever position.  It’s been a record breaking season on many fronts so let’s get behind Scott’s team and cheer them on.

Come on you Rooks!

Stuart

From the dugout – Scott Booth

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Pan this afternoon.

Reflecting on Wednesday night… there was nothing in the game, I felt we had the better chances, the better parts of the play, particularly early in the second-half. 

We started to take control at times but it was hard to do in the conditions and the rain coming down. 

Both teams were pretty even but on another day, I think it could have been us with the win.

You always want to win every game but it’s a tough week when you’ve got three games. We can’t take Coventry for granted because it will be a tough game. 

They’re a team that have a lot to fight for, they brought a lot of good players in and they can definitely hurt us if we don’t show up. 

We’ll be very positive in our play, be on the front foot, try to take the game to them and at home on the Pan we need to make sure we do that.

We just want to make sure get as many points on the board as we can from now until the end of the season. 

That’s why the loss to Charlton was a tough one to take because there wasn’t much in it. So it’s all about points now, a tough game against Coventry but we’re ready.

We had a really tough spell of games in the middle of the season, but the thing is we tend to keep them really tight which is great if you can get on the right end of it. 

We want to be difficult to beat, we don’t want to roll up for games, be really open and make it easy for the opposition. 

We play to be organised and not give much away but hopefully in this game the fans can see some goals for the home team.

I’m so pleased for all of our call-ups this week – Bex has been a regular in the Northern Ireland squad, great to see Mason back in and a first call-up to Ireland for Sophie. 

They’ve all worked really hard and deserve the call-ups, and I wish them all well, hope they enjoy it. 

I hope it’s the first of many for Soph and it’s great to see Mason back in, that’s fully deserved.

Thank you for your support today!

Scott

NEW SPONSOR

Lewes FC has just partnered with Analytics FC and as part of the collaboration will have access to the TransferLab platform. 

TransferLab is an advanced online data-scouting analytics platform aimed at enhancing the player recruitment process for professional football organisations. 

Lewes FC will now have access to advanced data and cutting edge algorithms which provide an unparalleled online environment for scouting players.

Kelly Lindsey said, “We are very pleased to be working closely with Analytics FC to bring enhanced, data-driven scouting techniques to the club.

“We are an ambitious club and are always working on ways to bring a high-performance culture to Lewes. Analytics F.C. has a proven track record in women’s football and they were a natural partner for us to choose in this area.”

Jeremy Steele, CEO of Analytics FC, added, “Lewes F.C. have been at the forefront of much that is positive in football and the senior management are genuinely forward-thinking. We are therefore very pleased to be partnering with them as they bring data to their work processes around scouting and player assessment. We hope that our tools can help push the club towards the top tier of the WSL.”

DEALING WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS THE LEWES & CURVE WAY

INTRODUCING OUR VISITORS FROM COVENTRY UNITED

THE HISTORY

Founded in 1991, the club began in the West Midlands Regional League. 

In 2002–03 the club developed closer relations with Coventry City F.C. while revamping and expanding the youth centre of excellence. In 2004 the club were promoted back to the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division, but lasted only a season at the higher level

After three consecutive runners-up finishes, Coventry won the Midland Combination again in 2010 – scoring 66 goals in 22 league games.

The club played at Coventry University Sports and Conference Centre, Westwood Heath and at Coventry Sphinx FC, before moving to the Oval, Bedworth. In August 2014 the club announced a move to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry for the 2014–15 season.Midway through the 2014–15 season, Coventry Ladies were forced out of the Ricoh Arena after the arrival of Wasps RFC to the Ricoh. They found themselves playing at the Bedworth Oval once again

In July 2015 they merged with Coventry United and moved into the Butts Park Arena, home of Coventry R.F.C. where Coventry United play. April 2019 saw the side win the National League South, the third tier in the women’s game, seeing them gain promotion to the FA Women’s Championship.

There followed two hard-fought seasons in 2019/20 and 2020/21 where the club have established themselves in the FA Women’s Championship with a 9th and 10th-place finish respectively.

THE LAST MEETINGS

30 Oct 2022	Championship	Coventry United	0	Lewes	1
24 Apr 2022	Championship	Coventry United	1	Lewes	0
14 Nov 2021	Championship	Lewes	4	Coventry United	1
7 Feb 2021	Championship	Coventry United	0	Lewes	1
27 Sep 2020	Championship	Lewes	1	Coventry United	0

CHARLTON 1 – LEWES 0 – 29 MARCH

It was an evening battling Charlton and heavy rain on Wednesday evening in which the Rooks lost out on with Freda Ayisi’s goal giving the Addicks a 1-0 win. 

The first-half didn’t catch fire with Lewes controlling most of the play. Amber-Keegan Stobbs came close early on firing a close-range effort into the hands of Sian Rogers.

The hosts had a spell of pressure 25-minutes in when Sophie Whitehouse was called into a couple of strong saves. First to deny Melissa Johnson with a firm hand at the near post, followed by an effort from almost point-blank range to stop Elisha N’Dow.

It’s fair to say it was a rather cagey opening 45-minutes with the only other real chance coming when Charlton’s Emily Simkins’ floated free-kick fell just wide of the far corner which Whitehouse happily saw out.

The second-half opened up a lot more but mainly because of the monsoon weather that came down which practically made the game unpredictable at times.

After a couple of early saves from Whitehouse again, Ellie Mason broke forward just short of the hour mark but her effort was wide of the target, agonisingly close.

The pitch really started to feel the rain at this point and it became evident when Charlton opened the scoring. As Kirsty Barton and Ayisi chased the ball it almost stopped dead in Ayisi’s favour and her resulting effort deflected past Whitehouse.

Lewes kept pushing and pushing for the equaliser and some positive substitutions from Scott Booth put pressure on the Charlton defence.

It was the 90th minute though when the big chance fell to Emma Thompson who struck wide with only the ‘keeper to beat.

Charlton held on for a victory that could have gone either way as the Rooks remain eighth place in the table.

Willa Bailey Interview with English Soap Company

As part of the recent International Women’s Day, our director, Willa Bailey, sat down with our player sponsors, English Soap Company about her involvement in football.

1) Why did you get into football?

It’s quite hard to pinpoint the exact reason, football was all around me growing up and all the boys in my family were obsessed with the game, but it took many years for it to click for myself. I started enjoying watching men’s football with my brother during my late school years and my cousin started playing at university too – we’re really close and she inspired me to get involved.

Being alongside other woman in football now means everything to me. We are hugely altering the perceptions of women’s potential, challenging what women are expected to achieve and what our ambitions can be in life. It makes me so proud to see female role models around me in sport.

As part of that feeling, actually playing football and taking up that space on a pitch makes me feel powerful and strong. I am so grateful to be doing something that, 50-odd years ago, we were banned from doing.

2) What is it about Lewes FC that you like and aligns with your values?

I think that beyond the obvious equality stance and the community powered nature of the club, it is the complete commitment to integrity and our values – they define all of our decisions. It’s special to be part of that. We all have a vision, and we won’t stop until we can change football for the better.

3) What are your ambitions for the club and where do you see the club in five years’ time?

Who knows what the football landscape will be like in five years’ time? One thing we all agree on is that sporting success is critical to our mission, and in football that means promotion is essential.

Off the pitch, we want our impact scaled up globally. Yes, we love to tell people that we are the only club to equally resource our men’s and women’s teams. But that’s not actually a good thing, to be the only one! We want to continue to set an example in the hope that other clubs will follow suit and realise the importance of equality.

Even so far as impressionable kids grow up devoting their life to a football club or team – it is concerning that they could be seeing their club not respecting their female players/ staff, or treating them differently from their male counterparts. It is why we chose to use the phrase “How do you tell your daughter she’s worth less than your son?” in our equality FC campaign video. These decisions have real-world consequences in people’s personal lives. Lewes is so wonderful because it sets an example to others, and I hope we continue to do that in the next 5 five years.

4) What’s the best thing about working for Lewes FC?

Seeing the impact on people in the community and people we engage with. I wrote my dissertation on the intersection between football and the community and I’m loving putting my ideas into practise. We have amazing female leaders at this club, on and off the pitch and I’m so glad to be part of a club that’s constantly evolving and pushing to be better.

5) What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

It’s a day for celebration – to shout from the rooftops about how proud we are to be women. It’s a day to take stock and realise how many barriers have been overcome to get where we are. It is also important to take this day further and think what more we need to do, we are so, so far from an equal world – and I hope in years to come we won’t need this type of occasion.

6) Why is it so important there is a zero gender pay gap?

At its core, the fact that you can be paid less because of your gender is completely unacceptable. Gender equality is still seen as a secondary priority by some, but female decision-making and diversity of thought can bring untold success. If you want to be successful in any industry, you need to respect and pay women equally – we have so much potential to bring. It isn’t appealing to have men in a boardroom making homogenous decisions anymore because they don’t reflect the world we live in – diversity is our biggest strength. The whole thing baffles me and it’s absurd that there’s still a gender pay gap.

7)  Why is it important to engage and work with businesses that have a similar ethos?

I think that engaging with aligned brands is vital. Collaboration is such an amazing tool and if you are aligned you can capitalise on that. You can share expertise and knowledge which is so valuable. I also think working with brands that have a similar ethos is hugely important from a values perspective too. If you have a certain ethical or equality-led stance, then it is a no brainer to work with companies that are committed to these practises too – working together can benefit both organisations to achieve more and widen our reach.

8)  Why is The English Company such a good fit with Lewes FC?

Well, we are both local organisations with global reach so that immediately connects us. I also think our values are very similar. Having a senior management team that is over 50% female is not easy. It signifies great strides are being taken and I salute The English Soap Company for bringing women on board and into the decision-making rooms. I really believe we can learn from each other. I also like the fact that it’s a strong local brand with a commitment to sustainability and also a family company which is in business for the right reasons.

GALLERY COURTESY OF JAMES BOYES

THE 2022/23 BARCLAYS WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

YOUR 2022/23 LEWES SQUAD

Squad No.	Name	Sponsored By
1	Sophie Whitehouse	Nathan Smith
2	Ellie Mason	Scott Currie
3	Rhian Cleverly	The Happiness Index
4	Amelia Hazard	Dawn Harding
5	Charlotte Wardlaw
6	Ellie Hack	Little Stars Childcare
7	Nat Johnson	Alice, Tom & Russ Mould
8	Grace Palmer
9	Emily Kraft	Michael Wirtz
10	Amber Keegan Stobbs	Bill Lynch
11	Emma Thompson	Mark Comford
14	Paula Howells	Bruce Taylor
15	Jamie Rita	The English Soap Company
16	Kirsty Barton
17	Zoe Smith	The English Soap Company
18	Rebecca McKenna	Leschenault Press & The Book Reality Experience
19	Lauren Heria	Alex Lambeth
20	Libby Copus-Brown	Joe Short
21	Valentine Pursey
22	Josie Longhurst	Martin Scott
23	Izzy Dalton	Leschenault Press & The Book Reality Experience
24	Aqsa Mushtaq
25	Kenzie Weir
26	Emily Moore
31	Laura Hartley	Michael Scoates
32	Frankie Angel	The English Soap Company

The Rooker Prize 2023

Successful musicians, writers & actors Gary Kemp & Guy Pratt and publishers Hachette UK announce backing for innovative competition for new writers.

Everyone has a novel in them, right? But does everyone have the time to write one? And what if, 100,000 words later, it isn’t any good? Where do you even start? This is where The Rooker Prize comes in…

The Rooker Prize is a writing competition designed to open up the possibility of writing a novel to everyone. Because all entrants have to do is write the opening 250 words of a novel. That’s it. Just that.

Perhaps surprisingly, the competition is the brainchild of a football club. But not just any football club. Lewes FC became 100% fan-owned in 2010 and since then has forged a reputation for using football as an engine for social good. Having democratised football, the club, known as The Rooks, have decided to spread their wings and help to make novel-writing more accessible too.

Following last year’s successful trial run-out, The Rooker Prize has now attracted the interest of podcasters Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet) and Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd). They host the UK’s most popular music podcast “The Rockonteurs” where they interview fellow musicians about their career.

Guy Pratt explained: “Rockonteurs is all about great stories, like so many great songs, so I’m all for encouraging storytelling in its many myriad forms. I’m also proud to support my brilliant local team in any way”
Gary Kemp added: “We love encouraging new songwriters, so this feels like an easy step, doing what we can to help new novel writers too. It’ll be fun to see what happens.”

The winner of The Rooker Prize receives a beautiful carved wooden trophy plus £250 to go to the charity of their choice. But from this year, Hachette UK – one of the UK’s leading publishing groups – has stepped in to offer an incredible and exclusive additional prize. The winner will receive an hour’s feedback/coaching session at Hachette UK’s offices in London where their entry will be discussed with an experienced Editor, to hopefully help kickstart a new career.

The only condition for entry is that you have to be an Owner of Lewes Football Club. But that’s easy as anyone in the world can sign up for their single share via the LewesFC.com website.

The Rooker prize is now open for entries.
• Type your 250 word opening to a novel and the book title on one side of A4
• Attach it to an email to Rooker@lewesfc.com with the subject line: ROOKER PRIZE ENTRY, and put your name and contact details in the email.
• Closing date is Thursday 20th April 2023
• The winner will be announced on International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day – April 27th

FILMING AT TODAY’S GAME

Today there may be film crews in the ground, filming on behalf of Lewes Football Club and other media organisations. The filming is usually for Lewes FC marketing purposes, to show what a match day looks/sounds like and to generally promote what we do. Lewes Football Club respectfully asks for your permission to be filmed. If you do not want to be filmed, please let the crew know directly and they will oblige.  Thanks for your cooperation in helping to build a successful club.

CREDITS AND LEGAL

“The Barclays FA Women’s Championship strongly supports recent FA statements that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly, any form of discriminatory abuse, whether it be based on race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, faith, age, ability or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association. (The FA 0800 085 0508/Kick It Out 020 7253 0162).“

Lewes 2000 FC Limited. Registered in England and Wales with Company Registration Number 03790979. Lewes 2000 FC Limited is 100% owned by Lewes Community Football Club.

Honorary President Terry Parris
Chair Stuart Fuller
Directors Willa Bailey, Tim Bradshaw, Ed Briggs, Scott Currie, Stuart Fuller, Andy Gowland, Lucy Mills, John Peel, Trevor Wells
Chief Executive Officer Maggie Murphy

Life Members
Peter Brook, Dorothy Brook RIP, Vic Blunt RIP, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox RIP, Billy Nixon, Derrick Parris RIP, Terry Parris, Jimmy Quinn, P. Swaysland, Steve Ibbitson, Jason Hopkinson, Steve White, Martin Elliot, Kevin Fingerneissl, Kevin Powell, David and Barbara Arnold, Roger and Cathy Feltham, Ethel Treagus, Roy Dartnell RIP, Ron Moore, Derek Southouse, Ray Smith, Ken Carter RIP

Manager Scott Booth
GK Coach Daniel Matraszek

General Manager Lynne Burrell

Nutritionist Stefano Montanari
Club Doctor Dr Daniel Hudson
Head Physiotherapist Adam Hutchins
Physiotherapist Maria Melero
Sports Therapist Liam Jenman
Sport Scientist Ivi Casagrande
Mental Coach Sarah Murray
Data Analyst Tom Drummer
Kit Manager Kerri Coombs

Communications Manager Jack Towers
Commercial Manager Stef McLoughlin
Fan Engagement Officer Shrey Nilvarna

Facilities Manager Damien watts

Golden Rook Rob Read

Web Editors Stuart Fuller & Jack Towers
Progcast Editors Stuart Fuller / Jack Towers / Stan Lahood
Club Photographer James Boyes & Grace Jones

NEXT UP AT PAN…

SUNDAY 16TH APRIL 2023 – 12:00 KICK OFF

BARCLAYS WOMEN CHAMPIONSHIP

TICKETS