A Bolton Wanderers fan who lives in Atherton is helping to make the matchday experience more inclusive for women and girls.
Primary school teacher Emily Parker, 26, is a lifelong Wanderers fan and a season ticket holder.
Emily has been going to watch the Trotters ever since she can remember – she was a mascot at a match against Gillingham at the age of four.
She is now an ambassador of the campaign group "Her Game Too" (HGT), which aims to make football a safe and more accepting place for females.
Emily said: “We are a group of female supporters who are passionate about football and working to eradicate sexism in the football industry.
“We want women and girls of all ages to feel confident and safe sharing their opinion about football both online and in real life without fear of sexist abuse.
“There is a lead team and then each team has an ambassador.
“I was approached by HGT about becoming the ambassador for Bolton Wanderers and I couldn’t believe it. It was like a dream come true.”
Emily frequently speaks with the club to discuss how it can improve. She also acts as a point of contact for other women and girls to share their thoughts and experiences.
“I speak to the club and discuss any ideas with them,” she said.
“When I was first appointed ambassador I sat down with the club and we had a discussion about what we believed would help make Bolton Wanderers Football Club a more inclusive place for female fans.
“The club have been amazing throughout and thoroughly support the campaign.
“I am also here if anybody wants to share ideas, experiences or report an incident.
"Fortunately, I haven’t had any yet which shows that our club is friendly, inclusive and supportive of this initiative.”
Emily believes that the UniBol is one of the more inclusive stadia in the country for female fans, which she says it echoed by other match-going women and girls she speaks to.
She said: “I have seen with my own eyes a rise in the amount of women coming to games and the amount of young girls that are now attending is phenomenal.
#HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/tYPBJmuNQP
— Her Game Too (@HerGameToo) May 15, 2021
“Having a woman as the chairperson of the club is unique in the footballing world and is a fantastic bonus as a female supporting Bolton Wanderers.
“I have been to many other grounds, and I have been to games with other teams and Bolton Wanderers undoubtedly have the most inclusive fan base.”
She added: “The support I have received from both male and female fans since my appointment as ambassador of HGT for Bolton Wanderers has been incredible and this has made me feel extremely proud.”
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