Rylee came down to the classes to meet the children, take part in a Q&A and award them medals for completing their We Empower cohort. Rylee joined the club in January 2020, before suffering life altering injuries in a car accident in October 2021, where she fractured her neck in seven places.

Despite this huge setback, and a long road to recovery, Rylee has remained positive about her future returning to football and was the perfect person to come and speak to the primary school children about adversity, challenges in life and how you bounce back from them.

The children were delighted to welcome Rylee into their classroom and when asked to think of questions to ask Rylee about her life and career, you could tell they had taken everything they had learnt from their We Empower sessions into consideration.

From asking what her dreams and goals were when she was younger, to asking how she overcome any negative comments about her career and being a woman in football, to who the best footballer she's played against was, Rylee answered openly and honestly, and you could tell the children appreciated this.

The session ended with the children receiving their We Empower medals to commemorate finishing the programme and becoming We Empower champions, ready to become allies and challenge any negative behaviour amongst their classmates.

Leah, our We Empower programme co-ordinator said,

‘I have really enjoyed working with the group at St Annes and being able to witness the change in the class dynamics. When delivering the programme you get to witness the teamwork developing within the class - participants become more mindful and thoughtful towards others.

Also, how they reflect and overcome their own issues and behaviours. Having Rylee talk about her own journey and the struggles she’s overcome was really inspiring to hear and further helped the group with coping mechanisms and the importance of a positive mind set.’

Our We Empower programme was created to support a culture in which children feel safe, are health, nurtured, active, responsible, respected and included.

Through promoting equality in all areas, we will aim to tackle gender stereotyping and raise children’s understanding of the types of discrimination and prejudices females and minorities face. As a direct result, we expect to see improved citizenship skills and aspirations in participants of the programme.