I’m Katana Gould, I am currently part of The Regional Youth Network and I have previously sat on the FA National Youth Council. My main background is playing football, I was fortunate enough to travel to America to play and continue my studies. However, my greatest passion now is youth leadership and sport development. I have had the privilege to take part in multiple Youth Leadership events including, the FA Leadership Academy, Eighth Wonder, County FA Youth Council events, and most recently the three Your Game events.

Your Game is a 2-day hyper local event that supports young people between the ages of 14-24 years old to learn about the different roles available to them in the football workforce and how they can take their next steps in the game and follow their passion.

I was very lucky to be part of all three Your Game events, as an event guide, taking place in Middlesborough, Derby, and Loughborough. As an event guide, my role was to support the participants attending for the two days and help them maximise the opportunities given to them. Having the opportunity to be an event guide for all three of these events has been incredibly rewarding for me in multiple ways, I have learnt about many different roles within football aside from playing, gained a deeper understanding of the inner workings of a successful event, had the chance to take part in the delivery of some key workshops and made many friendships and connections along the way. Not to mention the pure joy of helping other young people see and create the future they want in the game.

I personally believe that with each event, Your Game has exceeded expectations in many different ways. Each event has increased in participant numbers, had outstanding workshops and exhibitions on show, increased youth leadership visibility, and created a lasting legacy beyond the two days. Being in the position of an event guide was a really unique experience for me, as not only did I get the chance to create and facilitate some amazing conversations with the young people attending, but I also was able to learn so much myself and created plans for my own future with the information and experiences that were provided to me.

After moving away to America and being out of the FA Youth Leadership network for a little while, Your Game has given me a great opportunity to jump straight back in, and lead some really important conversations. It has become an excellent entry point for young people to gain an understanding of all aspects of football such as youth leadership, nutrition, psychology, coaching, refereeing, sports business, logistics, and many more. I couldn’t have asked for a better programme to have the pleasure to be involved in.

Keep an eye out for more Your Game events coming across the country in the new season, if one is near you I would highly suggest taking a chance and getting involved. It might just be the next step to creating your football future!