A Crewe PE teacher playing for Nantwich Town FC Ladies has netted high profile support as she steps into a new role as Captain of the side.

Becky Davies, who teaches at Ruskin Community High School on Ruskin Road in Crewe, has received sponsorship from Motherwell Cheshire founder Kate Blakemore as the Crewe-based charity drives forward initiatives to level the playing field for women in sport including providing Period Dignity Packs for schoolgirls.

The sponsorship has proved double joy for Becky, coinciding with her promotion from playing in defence to captaining her side.

She said: "It's such an honour to lead my side onto the pitch every Sunday and take on this role at a time when women's football is seeing a phenomenal rise in popularity.

"At Nantwich we've seen a definite increase in attendance figures and many local women keen to get involved in the sport due to the incredible successes of the Lionesses.

"To receive this sponsorship from Kate at the same time is the icing on the cake especially when I am such a big fan of Motherwell Cheshire and the way it encourages physical activity for mental wellbeing as I do in school.

"I see first-hand the impact the charity has on women, girls and young people in general. They have supported my school with period packs and they run a second-hand uniform shop for students. They even made sure prom dresses were available for some of our Y11 leavers this summer.

"Motherwell Cheshire also offers a counselling service for local schools where a trained counsellor comes in to support young women and girls struggling with mental health and wellbeing following the pandemic.

The Crewe PE teacher will step into her new role at full force with kick-off being this weekend.

"I'm really grateful for Kate's support this season and was absolutely delighted when I heard of her interest.

"The sponsorship covers the cost of playing and training fees such as payment for the referee and the cost to hire facilities, as well as kits and training wear for the club which will enable me to continue to play."

Ladies football kicked off at Nantwich four years ago and there are now around 200 players aged three upwards in different teams and 15 female coaches.

As well as competitive teams there's a recreational side playing on Tuesdays for newcomers to the sport.

Mother-of-three Kate from Wistaston said: "As a charity we are doing all we can to promote women's sport through our Cheshire Girls campaign and it will be a topic of discussion at our conference at Cheshire College South & West in October.

"I am delighted to forge this link with Nantwich Town FC Ladies by personally sponsoring Becky and hope it will encourage others to get behind the team. I wish them all the best for the season.

The charity, based on Beech Drive, is also staging a FREE workshop 'Supporting our women and girls to be more active' on September 25. For information on attending go to this link.

For more on how on support from Motherwell Cheshire including Period Dignity Packs, school uniform recycling and counselling services, please head to this link.

READ MORE: From building sites to building stanzas: Crewe man finds post-pandemic career with poetry

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