As Hampshire FA moves into 2022, we continue to increase our efforts towards Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We caught up with Aliénor Chartier (our new Community Engagement & Inclusion Officer) for a quick Q&A to discuss her new role with Hampshire FA and what her ambitions are...

1. Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Aliénor, but everyone calls me Alie – thanks mum and dad for giving me an unpronounceable French name. I am a 25-year-old woman, originally from Paris, France. I moved to England over five years ago to pursue a BA in Politics & Philosophy. I now live in Basingstoke with my partner, his ginger cat, and a lot of plants I acquired over lockdown. Outside of work, I love to take photos with my analogue cameras and buy old books that I will probably never read.

2. How did you get into your role with the Hampshire FA?

While at university, I interned with charities who worked with refugees, domestic abuse victims, and under-represented communities; and after graduating from my Philosophy MA, I wanted to continue working with local organisations and charities. Luckily, I saw the vacancy advertised on the Council’s website a few days before it closed. While I didn’t know much about grassroots football and County FAs, the more research I did about the role and the organisation, the more I felt that this was exactly what I wanted to do. When Chris called me with a job offer, I jumped around and accepted it within the minute.

3. What is your role with Hampshire FA and what does it entail?

As the Community Engagement and Inclusion Officer, my role is to transform how we engage with local communities and ensure as many people as possible can play, watch and volunteer in the game. Concretely, this means developing projects to remove any barriers to people’s involvement in the game, reviewing key programmes to ensure that our work and processes are inclusive, and actively challenging all forms of discrimination on and off the pitch.

4. What do you look forward to most about working for Hampshire FA and your job in particular?

Working with the wider Hampshire FA team to positively impact people’s lives is probably what I look forward to the most. The staff members I have met since starting my role have been nothing but kind and welcoming. They all show such passion for grassroots football and I’m eager to learn more about the culture and history of football alongside them. A few projects are already in the works, and I cannot wait to share those with local community representatives, players, coaches, volunteers, and everyone else involved in making the game accessible to all.

5. What do you hope to achieve in your role?

Similar to how safeguarding has become an integral part of grassroots football over the last few years, I’d like to see inclusivity and diversity become an inherent aspect of everything that is carried out by our County FA. I am aware that this is a big task, but I think that with the right tools, information and support we can move in that direction.

6. Most importantly, what football team do you support?

Dulwich Hamlet F.C. and the French National Team.