We would like to begin by thanking the 30 women and girls who attended Tuesday’s fixture as part of our Women At The Game initiative, as well as the players from Huddersfield Town Ladies juniors who formed the pre-match guard of honour.

Some of them got their very first taste of live football, and we’re happy to report they all seemed to enjoy it, despite the 3-1 scoreline!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Women At The Game, the project is the brainchild of former Supporters Direct employee Jacqui Forster, who we also had the pleasure of hosting.

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Jacqui, probably the world’s biggest Altrincham FC fan, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in February 2015, and decided to use the funds that friends raised on her behalf to work with trusts and clubs to encourage more women and girls to attend matches.

As Jacqui said: “I thought about what I would like to do, had a chat with some friends and we came up with the name between us.

“Women at the Game basically encompasses different sports and it’s about women going together.”

“We organise it in a way that means it’s comfortable for most women to do, and where no question is a stupid question. It was just a case of sharing my favourite sport with other women who haven’t had the advantages I had, like being taken by my dad from a young age.”

Since January of this year, several non-league and Football League clubs have taken Jacqui’s message to heart, hosting their own events.

However, Tuesday was the first time a Premier League club has designated one of its fixtures as a Women At The Game event.

And let’s be honest, it’s not surprising that we’re first out of the starting blocks.

Co-Chair Emily Broome (left), Women At The Game founder Jacqui Forster (centre), and club Ambassador Andy Booth (right).
Co-Chair Emily Broome (left), Women At The Game founder Jacqui Forster (centre), and club Ambassador Andy Booth (right).

Town chairman Dean Hoyle has put inclusion front and centre of his vision for the club, and this is just one of a number of schemes aimed at making football more open to and reflective of the wider community.

Robyn Kennerdale and Rachel Taylor from Supporters Services also deserve a special mention for backing our idea from the off and turning it into a reality – they work tirelessly behind the scenes and don’t get nearly enough credit.

As for the Huddersfield Town Supporters Association (HTSA), one of our main goals as an organisation is to pro-actively support and promote women’s and girl’s football and female fandom. Hopefully Tuesday was just the first step!

Remember, HTSA are the voice of the fans. If you’d like to know more or get involved, visit our HTSA website , email travel@htsa-web.com, or call our Travel Line on 07905 580784.