Breaking Down Barriers for Women’s Dual Careers in Construction and Football
Reds10 welcomed players and their families to an open day under the ‘Reds10 x Hull City Ladies Football Club (HCLFC) Dual Career Pathway’ initiative at their Driffield factory.
Young women pursuing both football and construction careers are being offered a sustainable future in East Yorkshire.
Hull City Ladies’ U14s and U16s had the opportunity to experience what a career at Reds10 would look like and how it can be integrated with playing professional football. Players and parents toured the factory, gaining insights into future plans and developments.
This innovative programme enables women to pursue their football dreams with HCLFC while concurrently developing a parallel career in construction through apprenticeships hosted by Reds10. The collaboration addresses a significant gap in support and employment opportunities for women aspiring to prioritise football, while requiring a stable career for financial support during training and beyond.
Players, parents, and HCLFC staff heard from Carol Thomas BEM, Hull City Ladies’ Club Ambassador and pioneer of women’s football, who shared her fascinating story and participated in a Q&A, imparting her insight and sharing valuable experiences. With her exceptional contributions to the sport, Thomas motivated the players to strive for excellence and push the boundaries of what is achievable in sports and construction.
Dr. Carol Thomas said: “I am so happy to see this opportunity from Reds10, who are fully supporting young women in both football and construction. This is a pioneering initiative and one that I am proud to be a part of. “We are a long way off equality in football compared to the men’s game, but giving young women these opportunities to make a living in an exciting and interesting career, while their love of football is being supported, is a huge stride forward.”
Reds10 CEO, Matt Bennion, spoke on a range of topics, including Reds10’s beginnings, exclusive opportunities for HCLFC players, and the significance of apprenticeships. He said: “For too long, construction has failed to attract enough young people, particularly women. We are proud of our investment in apprenticeships and thrilled to create an innovative pathway for young women through our ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ partnership with HCLFC.
“This Dual Career Pathway provides women with a flexible working pattern and study time to gain qualifications and work experience through one of several construction apprenticeships, all while managing intensive training required to be a competitive footballer.”
Jessie Shipley, player for HCLFC and Quality Control Officer for Reds10, also shared her experience, discussing the benefits of an employer who understands football and accommodates dual careers. She said: “For women in football, it is not yet possible to rely on the game as a full-time career. Having an employer who not only understands my training schedule but who actively encourages and supports me is invaluable. With flexible working hours, I am able to manage my time so that I don’t feel like either area of my life is suffering.”
Danny Johnson, Managing Director of Hull City Ladies FC, added: “I’m pleased to announce the launch of our new Dual Career Pathway in association with Reds10. The goal is to compete at the highest levels of football, and Reds10’s understanding and support of players transitioning into part-time or full-time football is crucial to our success.
“The Dual Career Pathway is designed to give every female player the opportunity to excel in football while offering opportunities away from the field. Reds10 shares our vision, providing apprenticeships and job opportunities while supporting education and football careers.”
Reds10 offers apprenticeship opportunities across various roles at their Driffield factory, including placements for aspiring designers, joiners, supply chain managers, warehouse operatives, health, safety & environmental technicians, quality control officers, and technical writers. For apprenticeship opportunities with Reds10, reach out to placements@reds10.com.
To learn more about the Dual Career Pathway and how businesses or players can get involved, please contact info@hullcityladies.com.
The programme will be the beginning of a growing Dual Career Pathway initiative with businesses across the community.
Photo Credit: Kevin Greene
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jess Clark, 07722 299461 jess@divineclarkpr.co.uk
About Reds10 – https://www.reds10.com
Reds10 is an award-winning, vertically integrated off-site construction specialist, providing clients with a full turnkey service to design, finance, build, equip, fit out, operate and hire modular buildings. It exists to help equip society to live, learn and thrive in amazing spaces.
Committed to changing the game, it is setting new benchmarks for customer experience and building performance in the modular construction industry. In pursuit of its mission to create amazing spaces with 100% productivity, it is delivering better, faster and more affordable solutions with less carbon and won’t rest until buildings are delivered better than carbon neutral at zero additional cost.
Led by an experienced management team, Reds10 prioritises customer experience, building performance and design quality. Pushing the architectural boundaries, it is challenging the ‘one size fits all’ perception of modular construction and instead creating amazing buildings with high architectural integrity in partnership with architectural practices.
Its projects range from permanent to temporary developments in the education, healthcare, residential, defence, justice and leisure sectors, all delivered from Reds10’s own manufacturing facility in East Yorkshire.
Twitter: @reds10ltd
LinkedIn: Reds10
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About Hull City Ladies FC – https://hullcityladies.com/
Hull City Ladies Football Club is a committed to promoting women’s sports and providing opportunities for female athletes to excel. With a strong focus on community engagement and inclusivity, the club aims to inspire and empower the next generation of sportswomen.
Contacts and ground directions – https://hullcityladies.com/contacts/
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https://www.facebook.com/HullCityLFC/
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