Rummaging about in the loft, Becky Adams discovered the tape of her teenage mascot experience was still inside the camcorder almost two decades on, so she excitedly hooked the device up to her television to watch the experience back.
It had been a day that stood out in the new Brackley Town Ambassador’s memory for all the right reasons, as a then-15-year old fan of one of the higher division football league clubs involved in the fixture.
But when she watched the footage back, she couldn’t believe her eyes as her positive memories of the day were tainted by what she spotted happening in the background.
Becky recalls: “I was mad about the game and even though I was 15, 5ft 10 tall and fully developed, I never once felt uncomfortable about the thought of walking into the changing room - I just couldn’t wait to be face-to-face with the players.
“My dad followed me about, filming the whole thing; autograph book being handed round the squad, photos being taken when possible, and then we were ready to hit the pitch for a pre-match penalty shootout.
“It was a day I will always remember.”
Fast-forward 17 years and she was ready to relive the memories through her dad’s old footage.
“I hooked it up to the telly and watched the whole thing back.
“Bang….mid whirlwind I see that some men in the background were mimicking my stereotypical ‘lady run’ and laughing!
“That was the moment I realised how ‘anti-women’ football could be back in the day.”
Becky feels football has moved on a lot since then and when National League North Brackley Town asked her whether she’d consider becoming the club’s Her Game Too Ambassador, she jumped at the chance.
“I put the time in to do some research and I didn’t need long to make my decision that Brackley Town needed to be involved and that I wanted to be the person to front it.
“The club has a female fan base and an incredible ladies and girls section, so there is absolutely no doubt that Her Game Too and Brackley Town need to work together.”
Becky was born in Brackley and her links with the club go back four decades, although her aforementioned mascot experience was for a different club.
She met her husband when he was playing as the men’s first team goalkeeper in the early-2000s and she has many happy memories of following the side.
“The most obvious memory for me, and probably most of the town, would be our trip to Wembley back in 2018.
“I have never experienced anything like it - little ol’ Brackley Town winning the FA Trophy!”
Being able to share her love of the game with her daughters is another reason Becky is keen to get involved in Her Game Too.
“As a mum of a Brackley Town Ladies player, I want her to be able to play the game she loves and to never feel intimidated or subjected to sexist comments.
“I want my youngest daughter to watch a game with me and not feel uncomfortable, and I want female officials to be able to attend the club and enjoy the experience and want to come back.
“I’ve had the odd comment made from away fans but never from a home supporter and that’s how I want it to stay.”
Becky is keen to see Her Game Too continue to grow, just as the Kick It Out campaign, which she based her GCSE sociology coursework on, has.
“As a club, we support Her Game Too’s progression and it would be amazing to see the logo around every pitch, in every league.”