‘THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING’

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Head of Women’s Football Lola Ogunbote talks breaking barriers ahead of No Room for Racism fixture

2023-10-06T11:00:00.000Z

‘THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING’

Head of Women’s Football Lola Ogunbote talks breaking barriers ahead of No Room for Racism fixture

2023-10-06T11:00:00.000Z

Head of Women’s Football Lola Ogunbote talks breaking barriers ahead of No Room for Racism fixture

Just one moment can change everything and this couldn’t be truer than in the case of Lola Ogunbote.

A chance meeting with an idol set the Clarets’ Head of Women’s Football, who joined the Club in Summer 2021, on the path into the industry and, while the journey to get there has involved breaking barriers, Ogunbote hopes her experience can help pave the way for young female players of the future.

From the courtroom to the changing room….

A UK qualified Lawyer for several years, it was bumping into former Arsenal and England Women pro Rachel Yankey at a Goldman Sachs event in London that inspired Ogunbote to follow her dreams of turning a passion for football into a career.

“Rachel Yankey was at the Investment Banking firm I was working at one afternoon and when I reflect back, it really was a case of seeing is believing. I instantly recognised her, approached and spoke to her. It was a brief conversation, but I recall asking Rachel “Do you think it’s too late for me to make a career in the game?’ She said ‘Absolutely not, follow your dreams’ and I did. I actually ended up resigning that day in this moment of euphoria and belief that I was going to make it. Then a few moments later the reality of my decision began to sink in, and I began to think, wait that wasn’t such a great idea, how am I going to pay my rent!

“But that chance meeting kick started my journey into football. I’d always wanted to do it. I didn’t know how. I couldn’t see how, the pathway wasn’t clear to me, and I didn’t have access to the information I needed. I also didn’t see a lot of people that looked like me in the industry and thought it would be an impossible task. That day, I did see someone who looked like me, and she gave me that energy, that inspiration, that belief that I could do it and following that brief encounter with Rachel Yankey, I began my transition into the sport.

‘THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING’ - Image 1

“I’ve always played the game, at school, grassroots level and recreationally. I just have a huge love of football. I believe with more support from home I could have gone pro, but my parents were much more invested in my education which is a story for another day!

“After I’d quit my corporate job, a week later I saw an advert in the paper for aspiring coaches who didn’t have any experience who wanted to transition into the game at Arsenal Football Club and Arsenal in the Community. I applied and got in; I was the only female on that cohort. They took me through my badges in the first six months, then the second six months I coached on their behalf in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Australia, the UK and America. It catapulted me. From there I returned to the UK and thought I’ve got this love of coaching, love of football and I decided to move to China and coached in Beijing for three years.

“China Club Football is one of the largest grassroots football clubs in Beijing. When I arrived, I was the only female, and only woman of colour out of the twelve coaches who were out there. So, I’ve always occupied spaces where I’ve been the only female or the only person/woman of colour. But I thrive off it. It allows me to make a difference in a way that people are going to notice. They’re going to notice stuff, I walk into a room and you’re going to notice me, it’s just natural, it’s what it is. But my whole mindset is focused on what I do when I’ve got the attention in the room, how do I use my platform positively and that is what really pushes me each day to improve - to make sure that other girls can see me and think if Lola can do it, I can do it too, there’s no difference.

“My aspiration is to try and replicate that Rachel Yankey moment for every girl who thinks her dreams are impossible, or at least be a voice of reason and encouragement. I do a lot of mentoring of young women of colour who are trying to get into the game. I am also the Executive Director of a charity called Goals for Girls that unites girls through football to lead community change. We operate in underserved communities all over the world. I’ve always tried to use football as a tool to include rather than exclude. I think the sport naturally lends itself in a way to do that. That’s the power of football.”

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Ogunbote is co-commentator alongside Phil Bird for the Chelsea game, taking place over the Premier League’s No Room for Racism weekend. All Premier League matches from 7-23 October are dedicated to the campaign which highlights the league and clubs’ ongoing commitment to tackling discrimination and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of the game.

“When I think about my journey from law into football, there was a lot of archaic thinking and institutional racism - and being female and a woman of colour - you had less than a 5% chance of making it in that industry. So, being the underdog has always been a theme that’s followed my career.

“When we apply this to the football world and you consider the demographic of women in the game - it’s much, much lower than men. Then you think about the demographic of women of colour in the game - it’s nowhere near enough and The FA recognise this and have programmes and initiatives designed to increase diversity because they acknowledge more work needs to be done.

“If you look on the men’s side in the Premier League at the minute, Vincent is the only man of colour. Patrick Viera was last season. That lack of diversity is also reflected in women’s football, I’m not sure there is a manager of colour in the Women’s Super League altogether. Looking at gender gap, in the topflight of the women’s game only a third of teams are managed by women. I’m sure everyone wants a job based on merit, but the statistics suggest there are definitely barriers and underrepresented groups. That’s where we are, that’s where football is at the minute.”

So, what would Ogunbote like to see moving forward?

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“When we look at the women’s game, and we look at access, and we look at how football is reaching all girls. We know that it’s not reaching all girls and so I’d like to see many more initiatives that are targeted to underrepresented groups. The FA are working on this, through schools and grassroots, through Emerging Talent Centres, giving those girls that have raw talent the opportunity to participate. Often when you dig deeper there are more complex reasons behind the lack of diversity, but there is also an onus for us collectively to do more.

"There is also, in my view an element of a lack of visible role models from more diverse backgrounds. When we think about decisions makers, individuals who hold senior positions of power, when we think of the make-up of our boardrooms, committees, are they diverse enough? Are conversations being held at a higher level inclusive and reflective of everyone? The more people can see, the more people can believe, they more they can do. That’s just it.

“I think there’s been a lot of progress in the women’s game. They’ve introduced a lot of initiatives and support for women that want to go into coaching, there’s bursaries, funded places from the Premier League, mentorship programmes - there’s so much more. I think that a young girl now has a clear pathway for where she wants to go, whereas before the access to the information wasn’t there, people didn’t know where to go. It’s a lot better now but there’s always more we can do.

“I feel like, in many ways I am fortunate to be in a position to live out my dreams of working in the football industry. Some may argue I am lucky. Whilst there may be an element of truth to that, I am of the view that luck happens when hard work, and preparation meets opportunity.

“I know just how much time, sacrifice, self-belief and effort went into where I am today, and I am still confident there is plenty more to come. So, if you can be anything in life “be lucky,” that has been my journey. If I can be that change for the players of the future, if I can be that visible role model, if I can be somebody’s Rachel Yankey and replicate that moment, then I think my job is done and done well.”

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