Big moment for Sheffield Wednesday Ladies midfielder in bid for change

Biney, who has been playing for the Owlesses for some time now, has been on her coaching journey for years, but is set to take the next big step in her plans after being accepted on a UEFA B licence course in Lincolnshire.

FIFA reported in 2019 that England had less than five women coaches for every 91 of their male counterparts, and that gap was also apparent amongst UEFA B graduates - with 10,033 total men compared to just 301 women.

“I was absolutely over the moon,” she told SWLFC after getting the call. “It's been something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I was originally applying before COVID, but unfortunately that hit, and then it's just been a case of waiting for the FA to open up the courses again.”

“I couldn’t get into Sheffield, so I looked for the next closest course which was Lincolnshire. I went for it anyway, I thought, I’ll just travel, I wanted it that badly.

“This is something I've always wanted to be a part of. I worked in an office right up until getting my level two qualification. Then I realised, I can go and use this and work within sport.

“That's one of the main reasons why I've been trying to get this UEFA B, I'd like to work with Academy players, on the boys’ side I think, from U12 down to U7.

“I love grassroots sport and the women’s game, and I’d love to crossover a bit from that and from the professional game.

“Having that knowledge of how women can then progress up, that would then open the gateway for girls to be able to move up through the game, whatever they want to do.”

Biney first got into coaching as she watched her young daughter, Brooke, come up through the ranks from U10s with the Wednesday Ladies, and now – at 21 – they’re getting the chance to play together with the seniors.

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“As a parent, I just wanted to get involved, I didn’t want to just stand there. So I decided to get my level one, I started coaching at U10 and U11, and it feels a bit like I’ve come full circle now! It’s going to be great, I can’t wait to get started.”

She went on to say, “I’d like to think I am a role model for some of the other girls. I’ve been a player from the age of 11, and moving through the game, moving into coaching, I’ve always tried to keep growing with it, no matter how old I am.

“To potentially do this as a full-time job, and pass some of that knowledge back, that would be amazing. It’s what I aim to do.”

SWLFC will soon get their 2022/23 campaign in the North East Regional Women’s Football League Southern Division underway, and they’ll be hoping for a better year this time out after a tough previous campaign.

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