FAW launch year 3 of BE. Football Mentoring Programme

The BE. Football: Mentoring Programme encourages women, aged 18+, who are actively working or volunteering in football and want to progress their careers to apply to be a mentee of the programme. 

The programme aims to build the confidence of the participants, to aid their progression in football, whilst developing the skills required to achieve their full potential in their desired role within the game. Mentees can include those who are interested in starting their first job in football or those looking to progress to a more senior role on or off the pitch. 

Applications to Year 3 are now open and you can find the mentee application form and mentor application form here. Please note the application deadline is Wednesday 31st January 2024.

The BE. Football: Mentoring Programme saw great success in 2023 with 15 mentees from across the Welsh football family and 15 mentors from across the FAW and the association’s trusted partners taking part.

All mentees were partnered with mentors best suited to their aspirations and field of work. The programme encouraged mentees to have an open line of communication with their mentor. This enabled knowledge sharing of best practice in addition to valuable in-person shadowing and networking opportunities. 

Mentees were also given the opportunity to hold discussions with legends of the game such as Liesel Jolly the Women’s Football Lead at Visa and Helen Ward former Cymru International in addition to meeting leading women from across the industry. The mentees were also given a Media Training Day at ITV Wales where they had the chance to advance their media skills and try their hand at presenting the news!

The 2023 programme concluded at Dragon Park on the 7th of December with mentees, mentors, FAW board members and partners of the FAW joining to celebrate their journeys and hear more about the confidence, support systems and opportunities they have built over the past 9 months.

FAW Head of Women’s and Girls’ Football, Lowri Roberts said: “Confidence remains a key barrier for women applying for roles and putting themselves forward for progression or opportunities within football, and it’s been incredible to see our mentees grow in confidence throughout this programme and push themselves out of their comfort zone. 

“Over the last 9 months we’ve seen our year 2 cohort grow in confidence so much, and that was evident when they delivered their brilliant ‘My Mentoring Journey’ presentations in front of a room full of their peers, mentors, FAW staff and some of our key stakeholders at the closing event of year 2.

 “One of the most powerful outcomes of this programme is the support network it provides our mentees. That support network will be there to lean on, to uplift them and to positively challenge them as they progress through their career in football. We can’t wait to get started with year 3!”

Bethan Bushen, BE. Football Mentoring Programme Mentee said: “The FAW’s BE. Football mentoring programme is one of the best opportunities I have experienced this year.

“The closing day was great to see how far each mentee had come and witness how much they’ve developed as strong women, both in and outside of the game. Cymru’s Future for Her has never been more exciting.”

The deadline to apply for year 3 is Wednesday 31st January 2024.