#SheKicksHeroes is a collaboration between WIN’s Football on the Brain public engagement project and partners SheKicks and Football Beyond Borders.
During half term week a group of girls met in Manchester for a media workshop with recent SheKicks Magazine Editor and Oxford alum Jen O’Neill. In preparation for International Women’s Day, the young people considered women’s football over the years, what it means to be a woman and who their own #SheKicksHeroes are.
The workshop was part of a broader collaboration between Football on the Brain and SheKicks in producing brain and football related content, and professional development training with Football Beyond Borders on adolescent brain development.
To mark International Women's Day, members of the Football on the Brain team have shared the women who inspire them and the reasons why #SheKicks...
Heidi Johansen-Berg’s #SheKicksHero:
"My #SheKicks hero is Jill Scott and #SheKicks because she’s cool, calm and collected on the pitch, off the pitch, and in the jungle. She’s a great leader who inspires others, makes people laugh, and gets stuck in ”
Holly Bridge's #SheKicksHero:
"My #SheKicks hero is Jacinda Ardern and #SheKicks because she led New Zealand in a compassionate and considered manner through covid and beyond as the youngest world leader. She even managed to have a baby while in office. Being a politician is extremely difficult and she managed to unite a country."
"My #SheKicks hero is my friend Jane Sibley. #SheKicks because she has successfully set up her own business in a field completely new to her, whilst managing caring responsibilities of both parents and with family responsibilities. And not just any company… Sibstar was created to give vulnerable people some financial security, after Jane’s parents were both of diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’s a super inspirational friend!"
Jen O’Neill's (former player/women’s football journalist and Oxford alum) #SheKick'sHero:
"My #SheKicks hero is Kelly Smith MBE. #SheKicks because she played football with a level of skill, awareness, poise and purpose like no other woman I had ever seen before. She was fearless on the field. I first saw her in action for England against the world champions Norway in 1998. I was not long out of university and though I played at a high level and knew that I was a decent baller, I didn’t feel proud of that, I felt a bit embarrassed and about the women’s game too. Watching Kelly Smith in action absolutely changed that for me and I wanted other girls and women to know that there were great players, teams and opportunities out there."
You can read more about the workshop in this article in SheKicks magazine published for #IWD2025.