OVER the best part of three decades on Frickley Athletic’s management committee, Penny Wall has become an invaluable presence at Westfield Lane.

She has seen childhood heroes become friends, worked tirelessly alongside the club’s active Community Foundation and, in an absence of on-field action of late, taken part in cycle rides to raise vital funds for the Pitching In Northern Premier League club.

But despite noting a substantial shift in attitudes towards women in football since her early days as Frickley’s first female director in the early 1990s, Wall is one of relatively few women in roles such as her own at clubs across the country – whether at elite or grassroots level.

It is a trend that is gradually beginning to reverse and having experienced the joys of operating at the heartbeat of a non-league club, Wall hopes the progress will continue moving in one direction.

“I was one of the first females to join a management committee at this level and football is very different now,” said Wall, speaking on International Women’s Day.

“I used to frequently raise my eyebrows at comments about returning to wash dishes, peel the spuds or being asked about the offside rule.

“Thankfully, that doesn’t happen anymore and female representatives are welcomed and listened to.

“More and more across the leagues, females are becoming involved – whether that be as directors, volunteers or physios.

“There is more to be done and I’d like to see clubs, leagues and the FA run events to encourage female representation. I would love to get involved in an initiative like that.”

Wall has never lived more than six miles away from Westfield Lane and has been hooked since watching the Blues in their Conference days in the 1980s, a decade which also included some memorable FA Cup runs.

“Players I watched growing up have become friends – Russ Wilcox, who we sold to Northampton in 1986, and Colin Bishop from the team that reached the FA Cup third round in 1985/86, to name just two,” said Wall, now Athletic’s operations director.

“It really is a Frickley family and it is so rewarding to be involved. I have learned so much over the past 30 years.

“Non-league football has so much to offer and I would say to anyone ‘don’t just think about getting involved - do it!’”

Frickley are one of 228 clubs across the Trident Leagues supported by Pitching In, a landmark grassroots sport investment programme established by Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain.

In addition to financial support, the initiative highlights the importance of clubs to their communities – an area in which Athletic thrive.

The club are set to open a gym and welcome an American Football team into the fold when guidelines allow, while also providing Zumba classes, walking football, first aid training and assistance in care homes.

The club remain hard at work to keep in touch with their supporters over lockdown, with a second consecutive league season now curtailed.

“There is more to a football club than Saturday at 3pm,” said Wall.

“Fans have taken part in fundraising activities and sponsored cycles doing virtual trips to away games that haven’t taken place. All this has ensured the club has a future.

“Lockdown has made me realise how much time I put into the club and in some respects, it has been good to take a break and recharge the batteries.

“But come pre-season, I will be ready to go again.”

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. The programme includes a flagship partnership with The Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues - collectively known as The Trident League, as well as a partnership with the UK sports charity SportsAid. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/