We spoke to Leeds United Women’s General Manager, Julie Lewis, as she looks to plan ahead for next season with the team. 

Julie, it’s great to chat, how have you been during a tough time in the world? 

“I am good! Like many other people, I have had to adapt to working from home which has been tricky at times. I work for the local authority, I am the access officer for children with complex physical and medical needs, so I am basically responsible for schools that need ramps and care suites putting in for children who need those things. With bubbles and within schools, it has been challenging, but we have got there whilst working all the way through! My son finished his degree on our dining room table and is now working from home which is great, I’ve had an endless supply of coffee from him! My husband works for a motor racing team so has been at work the whole way through as well.”

Can you tell us a bit about what you get up to in your role within Leeds United Women and more about your career in football? 

“I am the General Manager for the women’s section, I’ve been in my post just over three years but my history with the club goes way back. I played here for just over nine years, coached here as well and coached within football in the community as well. I also worked as a Regional Director for the FA as well for nine years, so it was an easy decision when this job came up to go for it and I’ve been busy from day one, alongside our fantastic committee and coaches! 

“No week in football is ever the same in football at any level, but regular duties for me include everything off the field. We look at making sure all of our registrations are in place for the team to play, I must say that our Chairman is amazing at that, he does most of the paperwork! We need to make sure we are doing what we should be doing, whether that be working with the club for player appearances in the community or finding ways to progress the club as a whole. We’re always striving to push to the next level, we want to be higher so we have to get access for the team to have a good level of physiotherapy, nutrition, psychology and anything that may help them both on and off the pitch. 

“It’s exceptionally important to mention as well that we are focused on bringing our young players through, and showing the people of Leeds how committed we are to developing women’s football. There are so many options and ways into sport as a whole now, so we want to make sure we do all we can to progress our young players.” 



How is the club doing, have you had a busy time working on some things even without kicking a ball? 

“We’re in a really, really good position. It’s better than it has been for a long time. We have a Super League ambition, that was one of the main aims of the club when I came back onboard and we’re taking steps to try and make that happen. Even though we haven’t been training, there has been lots of work going on behind-the-scenes. The girls have been doing a lot, keeping in touch over zoom sessions whilst under the restrictions, but it has been great to be back in training!

“We have a Super League ambition at the club, that was one of the key things that I was tasked with when I came into the position, as well as making sure everyone at the club was integrated and working together for the Leeds United badge. We’re working really hard towards our aims and hoping to keep progressing over the coming years!”

And now restrictions have lifted, have you been back out on the pitch?  

“We’ve played a couple of friendlies but we have now finished. We’re now preparing for next season, we’ve got open training sessions coming up at the beginning of June in preparation for the first team coming back. Our next friendly fixtures will begin in the middle to the end of July, another busy time for us all and I can’t wait! 

“We’ve seen each other through Zoom but it is not the same is it, we all know that. For someone like me to have a forced absence from football, it has been difficult but we have all kept ourselves busy as well.”

The positive atmosphere and closeness within the group has been commented on a lot lately, how much work has gone into creating such a bond within the team? 

“It’s great to hear when people say nice things to us or about us, we have a great group. Through all the age groups we had managed to get [prior to covid] everyone training together which made a massive difference, so the younger players saw the first team players and watched them play. And to be honest, vice versa as well, it’s very important for everyone to see one another. We’re a very close group, and if you look at the men’s team, I don’t think there is another group as close in football as they have there, so it’s great to be able to see that and instil that mentality in our players as well. 

“It’s important to remember that our players aren’t professionals, they all have jobs or they are studying within education somewhere, so they have done so well, I am so proud to be the General Manager of this group, it is my club and it is an amazing and proud feeling to be part of it. This is a happy place, a lot of work goes on behind-the-scenes to make that happen and we’re so thankful of the support we get. Now it’s time to get back out on the pitch!”