My name is Emma O’Connor and I love football.  Currently, I am a football coach for Richmond Park FC and co-founder of Wheatley Oaks FC with Rebecca Raper.  

I started playing aged five years old with boys, as there were no girls teams.  
 
I’ve watched 800+ matches involving Chelsea FC (Men & Women), England and Staines Town FC. I have had different roles in football such as player, coach, sports development officer and covid-19 officer. 

I strongly believe that football is for everyone and we should not discriminate on grounds of age, gender, disability, gender identity, race, faith / religion etc. 

What inspired you to get into coaching?

I never wanted to get into coaching when I was young. I played for several grassroots teams and football was a thing I did with my Dad (including going to Chelsea’s matches).  
 
I broke my leg in a Solent university match. I didn’t know I had broken it at the time and carried on playing. I realised I had broken it following a hospital visit in the morning, as my leg had gone a funny colour. I was shocked and gutted by the news as I was going to miss our derby against Southampton University the following week. I hated not being able to play.  

I had also played for a grassroots club in Portsmouth and they helped me get my level 1. So that is how I started my coaching journey.  

How did you get involved in football and what experiences have you had that helped to shape them?  

There are too many people to mention in and out of football. There were not a lot of opportunities to play football twenty years ago, so I just played for a primary school team (mixed gender). At my secondary school, football was not on the curriculum and there were no local teams near me. I dropped out of football when I was 15 years and did not play again until I went to university.  

Who have you coached?  

Middlesex Girls Centre of Excellence, Royal Holloway University, Communities trusts programmes (Brentford Community Trust, Fulham Foundation, Chelsea Foundation and AFC Wimbledon Foundation), Richmond Park FC and Wheatley Oaks FC.  

How long have you been coaching?  

14 years  

Have there been any challenges you have faced along the way?

Mainly people’s mindset about women and girls in football. I am a football coach and football is a sport for everyone.  

Who and where are you currently coaching?  

I am coaching Under 16s at Richmond Park FC. I have been part of the club for three years. I love it! I love how the players challenge me. I like to have transparency with my teams, and I like giving players ownership over how they want to play positive football. All players learn or take information in different ways, as a coach, you need to adapt to them. The game is for players, not a coach's ego.  

What do you enjoy most about your role and why? 

For me, coaching is rewarding and satisfying. The players are the key to the game. As a coach, you are always developing to be a better coach than you were yesterday. You are continually learning new skills and information.  
 
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