Pippa Henry and Greg McLean

Cheshire FA Trans Community Champion

Pippa Henry announced as our new champion.

Cheshire FA are delighted to announce Pippa Henry as our new Trans Community Champion.

Earlier in the year, Pippa bravely shared her life journey with us and the football community (if you haven’t seen them, please watch our videos linked below). We are now very proud that Pippa has joined forces with ourselves to become our Trans Community Champion, offering support and advice to anyone who may be going through a tough time on their own trans journey, or whether a club or league would like some advice on how to support a member of the trans community within their organisation.

Pippa’s life story is an inspirational one and we at Cheshire FA are so glad Pippa has accepted our invitation to become a community champion. If you need Pippa’s support, you can reach out via Twitter, or you can contact us and we will ask Pippa to contact you directly.

Greg McLean, Business Development Manager, explained: “Interviewing Pippa earlier this year as part of our Trans-Awareness Campaign was a privilege for me. That conversation got us as a County FA thinking as to how we can best support members of our grassroots football community who may be going through their own Trans journey, or indeed support those who want to help someone. So we felt there was no better person than Pippa to help us do that. As our Trans Community Champion, Pippa can support, empathise and inspire with her own experiences. As a member of the LGBT community myself, I know and appreciate that without lived experience, it is harder to understand, so Pippa’s lived experiences will be vital in this new role.”

Pippa added: “From being a little boy to a woman has been a 52-year journey of so many ups and downs. So much hiding and being ashamed of me and thinking I was wrong. 
As a child I loved football but was rubbish and always picked last, to my 40s when I found out I could play again. Now in my 50s, I'm still loving my football and playing in goal for Crewe FC Ladies.

"It's been a long and bumpy ride and still the bumps are still hitting me. 

"Nearly three into my transition I've been rock bottom and had ultimate highs and personal successes. Lows include being banned from playing football, waiting so long for appointments, hating myself and my body, self-harming. But there have been highs along the way including; winning my battle and playing football, changing career from successful DJ to support worker and changing my life around including relocation on my own. Being an inspiration to others (so they say) is something I am very proud of. I have also been undergoing hormone therapy and recently been referred for surgery. Whilst I have also recently become a Nan.

"I'm proud of my new role with Cheshire FA and I hope I can share my experiences with others including individuals who may be going through a similar journey, parents, teachers and clubs. If I can help one person, it's a success. It will be so special to meet and chat to others who may be struggling the way I still am, from adults to children alike.

"I will never play professional football, but I do it for the love of the game, as we all do. The friendship and camaraderie; ultimately getting fit and have fun and that's what I want to be a part of within Cheshire FA.”

If you want to learn more about Pippa’s journey, take a few minutes to watch her story below, we promise you will be inspired:

PART ONE



PART TWO



PART THREE