At Vapour, we don’t just liberate people’s potential through technological innovation, we also invest in next-generation talent to enable new opportunities throughout our local community.
And as part of our most recent initiative, we’re proud to share that Vapour has extended its current football sponsorship for players at Tickhill Juniors FC, to also include two daughters of our senior account director, Glenn Ollivant – Betsy (11) and Imelda (10).
Betsy and Imelda’s training efforts paid dividends when the duo was scouted last season by the Doncaster Belles – one of the most historic female football teams in England, established in 1969 – and asked to play for the academy team.
As well as being the only two players at Tickhill Juniors to be signed without needing to attend a trial, Imelda’s capabilities also mean she plays in the age category above her own.
The 12-month sponsorship will fund the necessities Betsy and Imelda need to grow at the club, removing financial strain from the players’ families and offering an opportunity to focus on performance, training, and matches.
“Keeping a children’s club up and running is heavily determined by parents putting themselves forward to offer support where they can. With this pathway, the girls can not only benefit from the guidance of professional coaches, but access to bigger regional and England-type training set-ups too – including playing with an all boys’ league this season, which will hopefully create an avenue into a women’s super league club and the Lionesses in the future,” says Glenn.
The decision to extend Vapour’s sponsorship came following on from the Lionesses’ inspiring triumph at the UEFA Women’s EURO finals, as the Vapour team felt it was only right to share our backing with burgeoning female athletes too – to fuel their passions and facilitate growth in the sport.
CEO Tim Mercer commented: “Not only did our national women’s team demonstrate real grit, strength, resilience, and teamwork that night, but they paved the way for marginalised groups across the globe to make breakthroughs of their own.
“And that empowerment isn’t exclusive to football either. Women have undeniably had to overcome a lot of prejudices to receive the opportunities they do today in sport – which is why the UEFA display offers such a resounding measure of courage and resilience to adoring young players. However, this motivation extends even further afield.”
Carol McGrotty, Vapour’s head of digital transformation and operations, added: “As a woman in such a male dominated industry, I understand the value great mentorship can bring to help overcome the effects of adversity.
“You don’t necessarily need to be a football fan to see the impact of it ‘coming home’ thanks to a group of females. The fledgling nature of the women’s game has parallels to the tech industry, for me – and it prompts a great sense of open-mindedness to show that passions and opportunities shouldn’t be gendered. It’s a hopeful sign of things to come!”
We’re excited to watch our young players grow over the coming months.
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram to catch updates on the sponsorship.
