Two students from the University of Liverpool Women’s Football Team have visited Barcelona’s legendary Camp Nou stadium as part of Santander UK’s initiative to support female talent in their sporting and professional lives.
Rebecca Bradshaw and Noelle Runo took the trip last month as part of a select group of leading footballers from women’s clubs at UK Universities where they took part in a full programme of events, tours and training.
The programme by Santander Universities is designed to help build critical thinking and management skills both through sporting and wider leadership activity.
During the three-day trip, the students attended a panel event on women’s leadership with contributions from Maria Teixidor, Board Director and Company Secretary of Barcelona FC; Laura Ràfols from FC Barcelona; Matias Rodriguez Inciarte, Vice-Chairman Banco Santander and President of Santander Universities; and Susan Allen, Head of Retail and Business Banking, Santander UK.
Matt Hutnell, Director at Santander Universities, said: “We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to top female football talent from across the UK to help develop their leadership skills, both within and outside a sporting context. We are committed to supporting higher education and we know that those selected for this programme are equally committed to their sport, investing hours into training and are an inspiration to their peers both on and off the pitch. We hope the trip will motivate and support female talent with their career ambitions – whether in the world of sport, finance or beyond.”
Santander Universities UK launched in 2007; encompassing 84 universities, and providing over £10m of funding in 2018 alone. The programme focuses on education, entrepreneurship and employability giving all students the opportunity to succeed.