Santander Universities offered a once in a lifetime trip to Women’s Football Captains across the country to have an all paid for trip to Barcelona’s legendary Camp Nou stadium. This is a part of Santander UK’s initiative to support female talent in both their sporting and professional lives. The lucky student that got to attend this event was Law student and BULFC women’s captain Madeleine Jones.
The trip started with a panel event on women’s leadership in the Auditorium 1899, FC Barcelona. The talk was based on Leadership and the importance of this in both a football and business context as well as football’s role in, and its impact on, local communities and how Santander is supporting communities.
The session was moderated by Manroop Khela, Head of Transformation and CEO’s Office, Santander UK. The talk involved Maria Teixidor, Board Director and Company Secretary of Barcelona FC; Laura Ràfols, FC Barcelona; Matias Rodriguez Inciarte, Vice-Chairman Banco Santander and President of Santander Universities; and Susan Allen, Head of Retail and Business Banking, Santander UK.
Madeleine got to attend a training session with Chapi Ferrer, professional football coach and ex-player of both FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC. This training day was then followed by Madeleine watching the UEFA Champions League game FC Barcelona v Lyon. The last day of the trip entailed a Guided tour of Camp Nou Stadium.
Speaking of her trip to Barcelona, Madeline said: “It was honestly an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. Throughout the trip, I learnt so much and met so many people and still can’t believe I was lucky enough to attend such an amazing trip.”
Matt Hutnell, Director, Santander Universities, said: “We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to top female football talent from across the UK to help develop their leadership skills, both within and outside a sporting context. We are committed to supporting higher education and we know that those selected for this programme are equally committed to their sport, investing hours into training and are an inspiration to their peers both on and off the pitch. We hope the trip will motivate and support female talent with their career ambitions – whether in the world of sport, finance or beyond.”
Santander Universities is a programme that is partnered with 1,200 universities across 20 countries, including Bournemouth University, providing opportunities to students to encourage development in education, entrepreneurship and employability giving all students the opportunity to succeed.
To read more of the opportunities you can get involved in, visit the Santander Universities website.
