Carole Banwell
Nancy Connolly speaks to Carole Banwell, general manager of Bath City FC and one of the few women in the country to lead a men’s football club
ALL over the world people will mark International Women’s Day tomorrow and it is an occasion to celebrate. Here in Bath there are lots of women doing interesting and exciting things in the workplace, the home and on the charity front. Meet Carole Banwell, the woman behind a men’s team at Bath City FC – and what she says goes. She is passionate about the club and beams with enthusiasm when she talks about it and its place in the heart of the community in Twerton. She wants to encourage more women to come to the home games and the club welcomes new fans with open arms. Carole has been in the post nearly two years and she has transformed the club during a very challenging time. Gate numbers have already more than doubled and more women and families are enjoying a day out at home games in Twerton Park. Only last week designs for a new stadium – which will transform not only the football ground but Twerton High Street – went on show for the first time so it is an exciting time for Bath City FC. So what is it really like to be a general manager of a men’s football club here in Bath, a city best known for rugby? Carole said: “I feel very privileged indeed, Bath City is a fantastic club and a great place to work, it is a dream job for me. “I don’t feel any different because I am a woman, I don’t think gender has anything to do with it and I have been welcomed by everyone at the club – hopefully I am the right person for the job and it makes no difference whether I am a man or woman. “It is a very male environment but that’s OK. “There’s a lot to do and I just get on with the job, I am passionate about the club, I have been a fan and volunteer for a long time so I am doing something I love. “I know there are lots of challenges but that’s good. “We are trying to bring football back to the people of Bath, that is our vision. “Football was always strong in the city, we want to bring that all back so that more people can come and enjoy the games at Twerton Park. “It really is the best day out, community football like Bath City FC really is the heart of the game. It’s real football and to stand on the terraces listening to the roar of the crowd and the banter between the players and fans is just something extraordinary. “It’s not like Premier League football, the players are very accessible and kids can see them all in the bar afterwards, it is such a friendly atmosphere. “We are trying to attract more women to come and watch the games. “If you haven’t been before, going to your first football game can sometimes be a bit intimidating so we arrange to meet first and all go out to the terraces together. “We have special days where we have prosecco and afternoon tea and family days so parents and children can enjoy a great day out at their home club, it really is fantastic,” she said. Carole has been a football fan since she was ten years old growing up in Cheltenham. “Football was my punk, we weren’t allowed to play football at our convent school so I rebelled. I started watching Cheltenham Town FC and became a fan, much to the surprise of my parents, who didn’t like sport at all. “It was very unusual for a ten-year-old girl to like football then, I became a big fan and I still am today.” Carole is also very excited about the new designs for Twerton Park.
“It’s a very special place, at the heart of the community, the new design for the development is absolutely fantastic – I couldn’t believe it when I saw the drawings. It will mean the stadium will be very much part of Twerton and the city of Bath, and if it is passed it will be the culmination of a lot of work by volunteers, trustees and the entire team and management at the club. “We are a very friendly club, we reach out to schools and kids all around Bath are enjoying great coaching, it’s very important to get involved in football early, it is a fantastic sport,” she said. As well as a new grandstand, the stadium will include a community hub, a gym and an all-weather pitch, which the community can use, as well as an upgrade to Twerton High Street. The redevelopment includes student accommodation, 12 affordable housing units prioritised for local people and 34 co-living apartments, aimed at graduates and young workers. The plans went on show in Twerton last week and the club will now submit a planning application for the work.
Carole feels very privileged to be part of the club at such an important time in its long history in the city. She said: “It will transform the whole area and solve our financial difficulties. These are very exciting and challenging times for Bath City, and it will benefit everyone as more and more people will be able to use the ground for community events and more schoolchildren can get involved.” Carole’s background is in business, having trained as an accountant and afterwards a lawyer – skills she uses every day in her role at the club. Is there room for football in such a rugby-dominated city? She said: “Of course there is room for both rugby and football. Bath is a city famous for sport with Bath Rugby, the elite sports village at the university and Twerton Park. “We can all work together. Bath Rugby is also undergoing change with their proposed new stadium. All this can only be good for the city and its residents. “Football is such a wonderful game to unite people, it brings people together like no other sport – the last World Cup proved that. “There is a great feeling of togetherness in football, especially at the smaller clubs like Bath City.” The team is also enjoying success on the pitch, which Carole thinks will improve further when more fans start coming to home games. “It feels like we really are on the up and things can only get better,” she said. One of the club’s biggest and bestknown fans is award-winning film maker Ken Loach, who has been singing the praise of local football clubs like Bath City for decades. He has made films about the club and is a very active member in its progress and redevelopment, helped along by his friend, former footballer Eric Cantona. He goes to as many home games at Twerton Park as he can and can often be seen on the terraces. It’s been a hard slog at the club which has had difficulties, financial and otherwise, in recent years. But with people like Carole Banwell and Ken Loach working with great pas- sion to secure the future of football in the city, its future is already looking better – but there is still a lot to do and the club relies on support from local people and businesses. Its location in Twerton, one of the oldest communities in Bath, makes it accessible to all and is an important facility for young people from all backgrounds around the city. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, the question is: is Bath a good city for women to work? Carole said: “I think Bath is a wonderful city for professional women, there is a great community of women in all sorts of businesses and because it is small we can all work together and help each other. “There are some amazing women in this city, it is a great privilege to be part of it.”