When I tell people I work – in my spare time – for Leeds United Ladies, I do get the odd raised eyebrow. Sometimes, two.
I'm not dating a player, I haven't produced a player and yet, like many a doting parent, I've hauled myself out of bed on cold, Sunday mornings in winter to get the first buses of the day, meet the team and travel down to some very strange football grounds around England.
When I first started back in 2007, we had the makings of a great side – in fact, we got to the FA Cup Final that year.
You'd think that reaching a major final would raise our profile, get us a shirt sponsor and whatnot, but Leeds United was having its own financial issues at the time. You may have read about them.
So in stepped Leeds Metropolitan University, with a five-year deal, later extended to ten years. Everything in the renamed Leeds Carnegie Ladies garden was rosy, and we could plan for our bright future in the proposed FA Women's Super League.
Yeah, right.
Funding woes hit hard
Ten days – really, just ten days – before we faced Everton in the 2010 League Cup Final, the University announced it was pulling the plug on our Super League bid, and our funding altogether.
We told the players after they'd won an FA Cup tie the day before the announcement was due. Ever seen 18 grown women walk out of a changing room in tears, after winning a game? I have. It's not nice.
And yet, we won that Final, and finished the season three points and a few goals off a European spot (yes, there's a Champions League for women as well). But by this time, the entire off-field activities were being handled by two people; me and Sue Walton.
Sue is a parent; she volunteered to step in and help out a few years previously and is now Secretary; which for her means organising officials, co-ordinating with the opposition, arranging access for home games, handling transfers. And putting together the programme for home games, organising raffles, dealing with the FA and County FA, sorting out hotels and coach travel when required, and more beside. And acting up as Treasurer, so dealing with expense claims for players and officials, win bonuses, fundraising. And doing her day job… which involves doing none of the above.
Sue Walton is my hero.
Playing to strengths
All I was doing was writing match previews and reports, dealing with the odd journalist, running the website, answering queries, managing our Twitter - @LeedsUnitedLFC - and Facebook accounts and, for reasons I will never fully fathom, running a live text commentary from all our games through the club's website.
Given that I work in PR, I was playing to my strengths somewhat, and getting short-listed for a regional PR award helped raise the club's profile a bit too.
Because let's be honest; apart from Tony Leighton's articles in the Guardian, no-one's going to know anything about us if we don't promote ourselves.
Did I mention we did all this for free? No wages, no stipend or honorarium, not even expenses.
The reason we do what we do is because we have an absolute belief in the game, our club and our players – it's the same for everyone who works in women's football.
Professional and committed
The players are every bit as professional and committed as their male counterparts – more so, I think, given the lack of funds (we can't even afford a win bonus this year). They work, study and still train two evenings a week. And they're just as talented; it may not be as fast as the men's game, but it's just as skilful. We're not talking Sunday league cloggers here.
Our crowds are respectable – we can always fit a few more in – but like most clubs what we really need is people to help out behind the scenes.
Sue and I did the work of five, and we've been lucky that we've gained a couple of new faces to spread the load a bit this season but other clubs aren't so fortunate.
So if you want to do something with your Sundays apart from watch the Premier League's overpaid prima donnas, come down to a game. You'd be more than welcome.
Guest blogger Gary Taylor is the general manager, Leeds United Ladies FC.
