By Damian Martinez, journalist at G&M News.
Having attended football since the age of 8, as a 4th-generation Fulham fan, Laura Pett quickly became captivated by the sport. She would spend most weekends with her dad watching Fulham home and away, visiting 40 stadiums in the United Kingdom and abroad. Particular highlights were attending the Europa League final run in 2009/2010 and their play-off final wins at Wembley.
Growing up with this interest, she jumped at the opportunity to become a co-founder of the Fulham Lillies. A female-run football supporters club started in 2022 with the aim of creating an inclusive and empowering community that celebrates the passion and love for Fulham Football Club, and the beautiful game.
“My role on the Lillies board is completely voluntary, and I do it out of my love for the club and the opportunities it brings for the younger generation to get into the sport. I want to help achieve a welcoming and diverse environment where women have a voice and play an integral role in football fan culture,” commented Pett. She also shared that finds comfort in knowing that younger female Fulham fans will now have female role models to look up to amongst the fan base, which was a rarity for her growing up.
THE GROUP’S ACHIEVEMENTS
“The Lillies have achieved so many great things within our first 2 years. We were lucky enough to receive funding for 2 x season tickets that we donate to women’s charities and organizations to enable women, who have not had the opportunity before, to attend football matches. Also, we organize meetups before home matches, and group away days to provide a safe and friendly matchday experience for both the men’s and women’s teams,” stated the executive.
Moreover, Laura explained that they have successfully campaigned for more Fulham Women’s matches to be played at Craven Cottage, where the men’s team play. They have also engaged with FFC to improve the FFCW matchday experience and worked with the fans and supporters trust to write an open letter about season ticket pricing, to ensure fans are not priced out of attending matches.
One of the most important milestones of the group is to have published a report “You’re Not Welcome Anymore,” highlighting the issues faced by supporters wishing to take young children to football matches, such as ticketing, bag policies, breastfeeding facilities, baby changing and buggy storage. This led to the Lillies proposing a motion at the Football Supports Association (FSA) AGM, “to create a charter to secure meaningful change for parents and caregivers wishing to attend live football matches with children under 5. For the FSA to commit to taking this up with governing bodies, the Premier League, EFL and individual clubs”. This motion passed unanimously.
Pett said that the attraction to the role derives from the amount of tangible change for good they are creating for the present and future of Fulham Football Club, and the footballing community as a whole. “It’s a very rewarding group to be a part of,” she added.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
Recently, the Group has been planning their first event, “Game Changers, empowering females through our love of football.” She has played an integral role in communicating with Fulham FC, who agreed to donate them an event space within Craven Cottage, their beautiful stadium, and lay on a lunch for the 40 attendees. The day will consist of confidence-building workshops and a stadium tour.
Attending a football match could be seen as more stress-relieving, but when you follow Fulham, she is not sure that’s an adjective they would use to describe the emotions. A day of football allows anyone to escape for a few hours, to concentrate on the game, socializing, and hopefully watch a match full of goals, excitement and, according to Pett, a Fulham win.
PROVIDING THE BEST EXPERIENCE IN TRADE-SHOWS
About her work, Laura Pett joined the team of Sportingtech in December 2021 and has overseen the evolution of the company’s events calendar. As Head of Global Events, Pett proposes the strategy, looks after the budget, manages the relationships with suppliers and ensures their exhibition stands and internal events are executed to a high standard.
According to the Fulham fan, at ICE London earlier this year, the Sportingtech stand was crowned the official unofficial number one stand out of more than 800 companies by the iGaming community. “To be recognized on this scale at the biggest industry event, after months of meticulous prep, was truly amazing and a feat I am incredibly proud of,” she stated.
Moreover, Pett expresses: “Sportingtech is a leading iGaming platform provider, and I think it’s the people behind the product that make it so good. Everyone genuinely cares about offering the very best at all times and supporting each other within, whether that be through creativity or flexibility, which has in turn helped me be able to put effort into my extracurricular hobbies.”
“My roles within both Sportingtech and The Lillies are enhanced by each other, and the skills I learn in each are transferable. The members of the Lillies Board and Event team, each bring their own expertise to the table, enabling an efficient operation, with room for myself to learn and develop,” the executive concludes.