Manchester City and Feel Good Club launched a new collaboration in February to promote the benefits for our physical and mental wellbeing: Feel Good City.
And to celebrate International Women’s Day today as well as that relationship, Alanna Kennedy and Lauren Hemp were special guests on the latest episode of FGC’s Leave it here podcast.
Speaking on the episode, Kennedy opened up about being a role model, how she tries to only see it as a positive and ignores the potential negative pressure that can come with such responsibility.
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“I always try to look at the positive side of it,” began the Australia international.
“I’d probably prefer not to put the pressure on myself, I think it’s such a privilege to have the job we do and we’ve also been on the other side where you have not that many people showing up at the games and sort of seeing that change, I think it’s just nice to really appreciate how far the game has come.
“It’s a privilege to have so many people come and watch and for so many young girls and boys to be inspired and I think as rewarding as it is for them to come and watch us play, it’s just as nice for us to sign an autograph after the game and know that people care about what you’re doing because I think for so long it’s gone unnoticed so yeah rather than putting pressure on ourselves I refer to really just embrace it.”
Hemp, on the other hand, admitted she prefers to stay out of the spotlight and focus on football, but still understands the importance of the part she plays in inspiring others.
The England international was a key figure in the Lionesses’ road to being crowned European Champions in 2022, which captured the imagination of young girls and boys across the country.
And Hemp acknowledged on the podcast that having role models is important given the upward trajectory and increased access of women’s football.
“I think for me I don’t particularly like being in the limelight so I’m always like ‘oh god that’s me, don’t look at me’ when I’m walking down the street,” Hemp admitted.
“But then my Mum is at home like ‘we need to go see the billboard that Lauren is on’ and I’m like ‘no Mum, we don’t need to do that’.
“Obviously it’s really nice young girls and boys recognise you and seeing that the pathway is possible, I think it’s important for them to be able to see it to believe it and obviously the way that women’s football is growing now like things are on TV I think it’s so important to have that because I know when I was younger you didn’t necessarily see a pathway to get to where you wanted to be.
“And I think now it’s so important to have that because it makes girls and boys believe that they can achieve anything.”
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY EVENT
To mark International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, we will be holding a special event to celebrate women in sport at Feel Good Club’s cafe in the Northern Quarter (26-28 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EH).
Attendees will be able to hear from Karen Bardsley, former player and Girls Academy Manager, Charlotte O’Neill, Managing Director – Manchester City Women, Heather Leigh, Director of Product at Manchester City and more to be confirmed, on topics including working in football, mental health and the impact sport can have on physical and mental wellbeing.
Tickets cost £5 and all proceeds will go to Manchester City’s official charity, City in the Community, to help support its City Girls Programme, a project that engages female participants with free football training, leadership and mentoring opportunities.
Tickets include a drink (beer, prosecco or nosecco).
For more details click here.
