The Equality Club. Australian audiences were able to hear first hand how a small town club in the south of England changed the game in 2017 by becoming the first in the world to pay its men and women equally, embedding equal respect into everything they do – not only in pay, but also in facilities access, coaching, and every aspect of support. Since then, both men’s and women’s teams have been promoted, and the club’s bold commitment has become recognised all over the world.
Women Onside was delighted to bring Lewes FC’s general manager Maggie Murphy, and trailblazing director Ed Ramsden, talking equal respect at club level – and how this vision became a reality.
Hosted by former Matilda Moya Dodd, this was the conversation football needs to have much more often in Australia.
Participants in this live webinar had the chance to ask questions, respond to comments and discuss ideas for how this experience might be applied by clubs in Australia.
The audiences for this webinar included:
football club directors, committee members and officials
key decision-makers in the game, including Boards and staff at member federations and associations
individual influencers in women’s football, including coaches, players, media and sponsors
people in state and local government who are involved in policy and resource allocation in sport.
Recording available
Couldn’t attend the webinar event? Watch the recording on YouTube.
Watch Here
About Maggie Murphy and Ed Ramsden Maggie and Ed bring different backgrounds to the same goal of gender equality in football.
Maggie Murphy brings a background in anti-corruption and human rights, having worked for Transparency International and Amnesty International over several years. Maggie captained the Oxford University football team (and earned an Oxford BA), and also holds an MSc from the London School of Economics. Maggie remains a football enthusiast and has participated in Equal Playing Field’s world record breaking exhibition matches promoting sports access for women and girls, including playing the highest ever match at the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Ed Ramsden brings an outstanding understanding of the money side of a football club. Ed is Lewes FC’s Board Director responsible for Operational Strategy & Finance. He is an investment manager and teaches investment at Columbia Business School in New York and London Business School. Previously, he was full-time strategy adviser to one of the ten largest companies in the world.
And by the way, the conversation convenor Moya Dodd has a pretty good pedigree too. A former Matilda and a partner at a leading Sydney law firm, Moya has extensive experience in football governance at FFA, AFC and FIFA. Moya is currently independent Chair of Common Goal, the international football charity. And when she can she still gets out to play at her local women’s over 35s competition.