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In schools, in grassroots clubs and on the national and international stage, girls’ and women’s sport is thriving. We’re living through a time of hugely positive changes with much to celebrate but there’s still progress to make. Thea Brookes joined Wellington as Head of Girls’ Sport Development in April 2022 and she combines the role with her professional cricket commitments.
Thea comes to Wellington from an impressive background in both sport and teaching, having played cricket for 25 years and witnessed the transformation of the women’s game first-hand. Prior to her appointment as Head of Girls’ Sport Development, she taught at Malvern College and RGS Worcester. She has also commentated for BBC, including for an England women’s cricket game.
Thea’s role is to promote girls’ sport and bring it up to the highest possible level at College, particularly in light of the Master’s aim for Wellington to be fully co-ed by 2025. She will ensure that girls are provided with equal opportunities, initially prioritising netball, hockey and cricket. In addition to her role, she has been appointed Head of Cricket, making her something of a trailblazer as one of only a select few females in the same role at other Independent schools. The three main strands she plans to focus on as Head of Girls’ Sport Development are Participation, Performance and Education – with empowerment underpinning each area. Thea says:
“I want to encourage every girl at Wellington to play sport for the love of it, not just to be the best at it. Equally, I want to support any girls who have the incredible opportunity to compete at county and national level, and draw on my own experiences to help them to understand the dedication and resilience involved. Finally, I want to educate the girls about what it’s really like to be a performance athlete including the realities of juggling different aspects of life and the role that our bodies play.”
With this in mind, Thea plans to host a conference in Michaelmas Term to educate female pupils about their body’s responses to the menstrual cycle and how this can affect different aspects of sporting performance. Her goal is to banish any remaining taboos on the topic and encourage the girls to speak comfortably about their bodies, just as athletes like Leah Williamson have done, with refreshing candour.
Thea’s vision is for the school to come together as one community to recognise the ability and achievement of girls. She says, “It should never be about girls vs. boys, that’s exactly what we want to avoid but it’s making sure that the boys recognise the girls’ successes and that we all give support to one another”. With Anya S in the boys’ football first team and several girls in the boys’ cricket team, we’re making progress.
She also wants girls to recognise the crucial role of sport in building confidence, forming lasting bonds, improving mental health and bringing different cultures together, focusing as much on the value of the process as the elation of the win. Thea will draw on her own experiences to shine a light on the huge range of opportunities on offer within sport beyond just competing – from journalism and photography to commentary, teaching and marketing.
The country’s reaction to the Lionesses’ success said it all, as a nation we’re celebrating women in sport like never before with inspiring role models appearing on TV, on radio, in magazines, schools and on TikTok. It’s important that this support makes it down to grass roots level. As part of promoting equality, Thea believes it’s important to break down cliched stereotypes like it being a prerequisite to be ‘masculine’ as a girl to play traditionally male sports like rugby. These laughable, outdated notions have no place in the modern sporting landscape.
Her advice to any girl keen to pursue a professional sporting pathway is that it’s not going to be easy but it’s an unbelievable opportunity to grasp with both hands. Thea says:
“You have to put in a huge amount of hard work and make sacrifices to your social life but there are people to guide you at every step of your journey, even if the path fluctuates along the way. A full life is multifaceted and I’d always recommend taking studies and work as seriously as you do your gym sessions and training.”
Our sporting heritage at Wellington can be attributed to the incredible team of head coaches, sporting and teaching staff behind the scenes, that Thea is now delighted to be a part of. Their passion and experience shine through in Wellington’s sporting prowess and in the sheer numbers of pupils out participating in sport every weekend and training every evening. With Thea driving forward the development of girls’ sport at College, our culture of empowering young people through sport will only get stronger, for girls and boys alike.
