From Teacher to Transformation: How Baroness Sue Campbell Revolutionised Women's Football
Born in Manchester's Moss Side, Baroness Sue Campbell helped turn women's football from a marginalised sport into a national phenomenon, with more than 5 million women and girls now playing across the country.
When Baroness Sue Campbell took the helm as The FA's Director of Women's Football in 2016, she set three ambitious targets: double participation, double the fan base, and create a pathway to success. By 2020, she hadn't just met these goals – she'd surpassed them, with participation doubling and the fan base quadrupling.
Her impact was first felt through her role as Chair of UK Sport until 2013, where National Lottery funding helped transform British Olympic and Paralympic sport, culminating in Team GB's remarkable success at London 2012. This foundation of strategic National Lottery investment through UK Sport, part of the £8.2 billion allocated to elite and grassroots sport since 1994, laid the groundwork for her next challenge in women's football.
At The FA, Campbell's vision extended far beyond professional success. She championed equal access to football in schools and clubs, emphasising the importance of non-competitive spaces where girls could discover their love for the game. This grassroots focus, supported by National Lottery funding distributed through Sport England, has helped create a new sporting landscape where more than 5 million women and girls now play football.
Her achievements have been immortalised in verse at Wembley Stadium, where her story features among seven Game Changers recognised in 2024 as part of The National Lottery's 30th birthday celebrations. The poem, crafted by artist Robert Montgomery, adorns the stadium's dressing room area – a fitting location for a leader who has transformed the sport from grassroots to elite level.
Under her leadership, the elite game has flourished. The Barclays WSL has become fully professional, the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final regularly sells out Wembley Stadium, and the Lionesses achieved historic success – winning UEFA Women's EURO 2022 and reaching their first FIFA Women's World Cup final in 2023. These successes, built on the foundation of National Lottery support which provides £30 million weekly to good causes throughout the UK, demonstrate how strategic investment can transform a sport at every level.
