AUT meets Chelsea FC!
It’s not every day you get to meet one of the world’s best women’s football teams in Auckland.
But that’s exactly what happened to a group of AUT staff, alumni and students last Friday at JW Marriot.
They were attending a Lunch with Champions event with Chelsea FC team leaders and players ahead of their match against the Auckland FC women’s invitational squad.
The AUT cohort included three students and a teacher from St Dominic’s Catholic College high school, a school which had participated in the AUT Coaching and Leadership Day, a third-year AUT student currently interning with Auckland FC, several alumni now in sports leadership roles, members of AUT’s women’s football team and several staff.
The invitation to attend the event is one of the many benefits of AUT’s exclusive university partnership with Auckland FC.
Head of School of Sport, Exercise and Health, Katie Bruffy, says AUT invests in creating opportunities for its people to see pathways, reflect on what more is possible and contribute to change.
“This event was more than a celebration. It was a learning opportunity, a place to be inspired and a time to reflect on what more we can do,” she says.
“It gave high school students, AUT students and alumni the chance to see what is possible, learn from those who are leading change, and think about how they too can contribute to creating greater opportunities for women in sport.”
“Partnering with Auckland FC, Tuia Waitākere and schools like St Dominic’s helps us invest in women and girls, grow opportunities for women in sport and build the next generation of leaders, says Katie.
AUT worked with Tuia Waitākere to support the selection of school and students to attend the event which also saw match day volunteers wearing Auckland FC and AUT co-branded uniforms, and the fulltime score featuring the AUT logo on Instagram.
During a post-lunch panel discussion, Chelsea FC leaders and their players talked candidly about how they see the sport growing among girls and women, the challenges they face and how the club has grown to become one of the most successful female sports clubs worldwide.
Commenting on her experience of the event, AUT alumna, Jaz Fuemana says a standout for her was the range of people in the room.
“At our table alone, there were girls still in school, uni students and alumni, and AUT staff.
“Around the room were past and present international football players, young kids, AFC stakeholders, fans of the sport, sponsorship reps, and so many more.
“People from all stages of life and areas of the sport sector who were there not only in support of the AFC Women vs Chelsea match, but for women's sport as a whole.
“It's not often that you get to hear these sorts of people speak so openly about why they do what they do. It was a special room to be in."
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