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By Faye Hackwell
Burnley Football Club’s new Her Game Too Ambassador is looking forward to promoting
football as a game for all as her club returns to the Premier League next season.
Charlotte Rigby was born and bred in Burnley and regularly attends games with her female relatives, including her sisters and grandmother.
After witnessing the work of Her Game Too and supporting the campaign’s goals of promoting inclusivity and championing women in the sport, she applied to become an ambassador.
“Burnley have such a fantastic female fan base but were yet to have a Her Game Too representative,” she said.
“When communicating with the female fans, I realised the club would benefit from having a
connection to the Her Game Too campaign to allow them to feel safer and included in the
club.”
Charlotte has been supporting Burnley since childhood and has been a season ticket holder
for more than a decade.
She’s witnessed the lows of relegations and the highs of watching The Clarets playing in the
Premier League - including a seventh place finish in 2017/18, which earned the team a place
in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round the following season.
The team got through two qualifying rounds before narrowly missing out on a spot in the
competition’s main group stages following defeat to Olympiakos - and seeing Burnley play
European football was one of Charlotte’s proudest moments as a fan.
“Another of my favourite memories is us taking four points off the champions Manchester
City in the 2014/15 season by winning at Turf Moor, after coming back from 2-0 down to get
a point at the reverse fixture.
“Here's to hoping there can be a repeat of this next season as we’ve had our fair share of
beatings from them since then.”
Under manager Vincent Kompany’s guiding hand, Burnley won last season’s Championship to secure an immediate return to the Premier League following the previous season’s relegation and Charlotte is excited about what’s to come - both on and off the pitch - in the 2023/24 campaign.
“I’m hoping to open channels with the club and also the community in Burnley to teach the
importance of equality in football and make that the norm.
“I'd be surprised if any woman in football didn't have some experience, whether directly or
not, of inequality or sexism in football, as a player, a fan or on social media.
“Football is a game for everyone and when people are respectful and fair, what a game it
can be.
While Charlotte feels social media channels provide a valuable platform to connect football
fans and facilitate debate about the game, they are also a hiding place for people who want
to voice offensive opinions - something Her Game Too campaigns against in its work to
promote inclusivity in football.
She hopes to see the campaign continue to grow by bringing more ambassadors and
partner clubs on board and receiving more exposure through the media.
“I would love to see Her Game Too become a household name in sport.
“For now, it would be great to increase the awareness of the campaign in my home town
through my new role as an ambassador.”
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