From Sidelines to Champions: How Chris Kettel Built a Football Lifeline in Hounslow

A Personal Mission Born from Experience

Chris's journey began long before the first whistle. Growing up in Hounslow himself, he witnessed first-hand how his peer group drifted apart in their late teens, victims of a system that offered little provision for young people when they needed it most.

When Chris became a youth worker at Hope Church Hounslow in 2015, he saw an opportunity to break the cycle. "I've always been crazy about football," he says. But energy alone couldn't overcome the harsh realities facing families in one of London's most challenging areas—parents working weekends, families without cars, girls told that football wasn't for them.

Then came the game-changer that would transform everything: a £5,000 National Lottery-funded grant from Sport England. This investment represents part of a remarkable 30-year journey—over £6.8 billion invested in grassroots sport across the UK, with more than £50 million committed to women's and girls' football in England alone since 2012. Before any brand sponsored them, before the TV deals, before the fame, the National Lottery believed in women's sport. Thanks to the £30 million raised every week by National Lottery players for good causes across the UK, Chris finally had the resources to turn his vision into reality.

Breaking Down Barriers, Building Up Dreams

The National Lottery funding transformed everything, connecting Hounslow to a nationwide sporting revolution three decades in the making. "What the funding allowed us to do was invest in kit for the girls, booking venues for training and matches, but a big factor was transport," Chris explains. The weekly minibus journeys—made possible by National Lottery players who have been the silent architects of today's women's football success—became magical in themselves, an hour and a half where girls could bond, listen to music, and arrive "emotionally warmed up and ready to play as a team."

But perhaps the most significant barrier they broke down was expectation itself. "One of the hardest parts of building out a girls' football club in Hounslow is the cultural pressures that are still placed on young women," Chris explains. "For most, the schoolground is the extent of their opportunity to play football."

Everything changed when volunteer coaches Lindsay, Megan and Ann stepped up. These three women found their calling in showing up every week, motivated by their own experiences of barriers in sport and their desire to see girls know that "football is for them too."

From Bottom to Top: A Community Transformed

What started with four to six girls has grown into a thriving community of seventy participants each week. The club now runs partnerships with five local schools, challenging the narrative that girls stop playing football in their early teens.

One story perfectly captures this transformation. Lindsay spotted a talented footballer during a school session and gradually encouraged her to join the Harriers. "She showed up not knowing anybody else at the club which can feel incredibly scary as a twelve-year-old!" Chris recalls. "Over the past year she has grown in confidence both on and off the pitch. She even started bringing her younger sister along which has deepened the bond of girls' football in the family."

The club has embraced Hounslow's rich cultural diversity, with girls sharing their cultures through music, food and celebrations. "Through these shared experiences we've built strong bonds based on mutual respect and understanding," Chris says.

Victory Sweeter Than Any Trophy

When their team won the division title—climbing from bottom to top of the table—it represented vindication for an entire community. The victory was especially sweet for coaches who witnessed something they'd never seen before: "For the first time in three years we saw a team full of girls that were PROUD to be a Hounslow Harrier," Chris reflects.

As one parent beautifully captured: "For Sophia, she's won much bigger titles, but this one tasted the sweetest because it was with her unfancied home town."

Lindsay remembers the moment: "Hearing the girls chant 'Hounslow! Hounslow! Hounslow!' From the bottom of the table to the top—these girls have proven to others and themselves that good things DO come from Hounslow!"

The Ripple Effect of Support

The impact extends far beyond match results. Parents speak of daughters who have found confidence, belonging, and dreams they never knew they could chase. "Thank you so much for making our girls braver, stronger and happier," writes one grateful parent.

Operating from the Beavers Estate, the club serves one of Hounslow's most challenging areas. "We have seen a larger number of girls choosing to play for their home town team as we continue to build a legacy," Chris explains. The timing has been perfect—as 2025 marks a landmark year for women's sport, with the Women's Euros and Women's Rugby World Cup celebrating three decades of National Lottery investment that built today's success from the grassroots up. Next month, the club will be cheering on the Lionesses as they compete in the UEFA Women's Euros tournament in Switzerland, hoping to inspire even more girls to see what's possible.

The club's influence has even extended to developing future coaches, with one young person making the journey from attendee to volunteer to employed coach.

A Vision for the Future

Without National Lottery funding, Chris acknowledges their ambitions would have remained just that—ambitions. "We wouldn't be able to run as many sessions as we do, and entering them into local leagues and making it accessible would be quite challenging."

Now they're planning to form Hounslow Harriers as its own charity, expanding beyond football to "nurture secure, gifted and well-rounded young people who take their experiences into adult life."

The Beautiful Game's Most Beautiful Victory

Thanks to National Lottery players whose 30 years of support has revolutionised women's sport across the UK, seventy girls in Hounslow now know that their postcode doesn't define their potential. Their £5,000 grant is part of an extraordinary £6.8 billion investment in grassroots sport that has been the foundation of every success story we celebrate today. As the Lionesses prepare for the UEFA Women's Euros in Switzerland next month—competing on foundations built by three decades of National Lottery belief in women's sport—these young players in Hounslow will be watching with dreams of their own.

"Seeing young people from Hounslow actually achieve something in Hounslow," as Chris puts it, may be the most valuable victory of all. In a corner of London where opportunity once seemed scarce, these girls are now writing their own success stories—one match, one dream, one triumphant chant at a time.

Chris Kettel serves as coach, welfare officer and safeguarding officer for Hounslow Harriers youth football club. The club received a £5,000 National Lottery-funded grant from Sport England to support their girls' football programme. This support forms part of the £30 million raised each week by National Lottery players for good causes throughout the UK.