Huge congratulations to Huddersfield Town FC, who have passed our Independent Panel’s strict criteria to become the UK’s first menopause friendly football club. 

They were given news of their accreditation by Independent Panel member Anne Bell, who told them: 

“We’ve thoroughly assessed all aspects of your application and the fabulous, comprehensive work you’ve done at Huddersfield Town Football Club. You’ve got so much to be proud of and I’m sure all your colleagues appreciate what you’re doing to be menopause friendly. 

“It’s clear that you’ve created a culture where it’s easy to talk about menopause and you’ve prioritised it in your equality, diversity and inclusion strategy. The way you’ve engaged your colleagues is excellent and we applaud your enthusiasm and your use of the Menopause Friendly resources. It’s great to know it’s on your website under Terriers Together and Careers, showing how important it is to you. 

“We also noted that you’ve trained a high proportion of your team and are continuing this. Your work is ongoing and not just for accreditation. 

“You’ve provided sanitary products to staff and supporters, you’re one of the first clubs to support the On the Ball campaign relating to sanitary products being freely available and you’ve looked at uniforms and showering facilities where you can. 

“In fact, you’ve achieved all the exacting standards required and on behalf of the Independent Panel I’m pleased to say Huddersfield Town FC is going to be the UK’s first menopause friendly football club employer. You really deserve this, it’s fantastic news and you should be really proud.”

Zoe Shackleton, Human Resources Manager and Equality Lead said: “We’re really excited to share this great news with our colleagues. We’re very lucky to have the support of our board. It speaks volumes we have men represented as we do, as it’s important when we’re talking about menopause it’s not just directed at women. Men will have a mum or wife or sister or someone in their life who will experience menopause so it’s important that this was a whole organisational approach.”

David Threlfall-Sykes, Marketing and Communications Director said: “Everyone has worked really hard on this. The whole process for us as a club and everything we’ve done in our equality journey has been a real eye opener. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been here a long time and I’ve always found Huddersfield Town to be a really welcoming club, somewhere that tries to accommodate everyone. This process and the menopause accreditation has taught me a lot. I’ve learned how we can approach things to make things better for our employees and fans. One man told me that after the training he had a conversation with his mum about menopause. Something he’d never had done before but now he felt like he could. It’s case studies like that which make these processes so worthwhile. Well done to everyone for all their hard work in achieving this status, we can be very proud. It’s a big achievement for the club.”

Kris Knight, Senior Education Manager at the Foundation said: “I have a member of staff going through menopause and as her line manager some of the initiatives means I’m now much better educated, more supportive and can provide her with a more inclusive working environment.”

Karen Crosland, Head of Safeguarding said: “I worked through the menopause prior to this training and I suffered in silence for much of the time. It’s really nice that a lot of my colleagues now are having much more open conversations. The most hearfelt thing for me was when a male colleague told me ‘I had no idea what my partner was trying to deal with.’ It brought tears to my eyes — unless someone tells you, you won’t know and it’s never been such an open conversation as it is now. I really appreciate everything that’s being done.”

Ann Hough, Operations Director and Board Lead for Equality said: “We are working very hard to ensure that our football club is as inclusive and welcoming of everyone as it can possibly be.  Our work on the menopause stems from acknowledging that women are under-represented in our environment and we want to change that by ensuring women and people of all genders are fully supported with their individual needs.  There are other exciting developments coming to fruition, including our Women’s Network and our inaugural Female Inclusion and Empowerment Conference in October 2022.  

We are very proud to be leading the way in breaking down taboos and encouraging conversations about the menopause and other subjects.  We have made great strides in our inclusion journey over the past five years and that is testament to the hard work and dedication of many people.”

Congratulations and so well deserved!