{"id":372,"date":"2025-05-23T17:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T16:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/?p=372"},"modified":"2025-05-29T15:29:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:29:31","slug":"from-millie-bright-to-esme-morgan-hallamshires-grassroots-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sywf\/2025\/05\/23\/from-millie-bright-to-esme-morgan-hallamshires-grassroots-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"From Millie Bright to Esme Morgan: Hallamshire\u2019s Grassroots Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For just over two decades, one woman has been at the centre of grassroots women\u2019s football in the Sheffield and Hallamshire region. She\u2019s shaped its growth, steered its progress, and ultimately ensured its survival. Now, with the exponential growth of women\u2019s football at the very top and years of dedication as a volunteer in the region, Julie Higgins is being recognised with a full-time and permanent role!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her title across the last 20 years? Well, you may as well take your pick. \u201cI\u2019m League Secretary, or League Officer, or whatever you want to call it,\u201d she chuckles. \u201cI also do fixtures and welfare, and I\u2019m Club Secretary at Sheffield Wednesday Ladies<\/a>. Basically, I do a bit of everything\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What she\u2019s actually done is laid the path for women and girls to play real, structured and high-quality football in South Yorkshire from nothing- a reality that barely existed when she first got involved over 20 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a real delight. I\u2019ve watched amazing talents come through whilst I\u2019ve been involved. Millie Bright stands out- look where she is now!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transforming the League Ladder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When starting out, Julie had the insurmountable task of making sense of what was a mess of a setup in South Yorkshire across all levels of the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen i first took over, we just had a junior league. We only went up to under-18 teams, no higher, and there was a separate Women\u2019s League.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navigating such a messy system was a challenge. Junior players from the U18s had to transition into different structures across the country with little support. However, since Julie\u2019s tenure on the board of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA, that\u2019s changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had some meetings with County FA, and we agreed to bring the women\u2019s section under our banner. So now, we\u2019re the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That transformation five years ago was more than just administrative, it was a game-changer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack then, we had two small divisions. Now, we\u2019ve got four divisions, around 44 sides, and loads of applications to join next year\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift has been seamless between open-age and junior football, creating a stress-free experience for a whole generation of players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n