What is it like to be a woman and a chief executive of one of the world’s great sports teams? What opportunities are there for young women looking to make it in a still male-dominated arena? And how do you stay at the top of your game once you get there?
Leicester Tigers chief executive Andrea Pinchen is preparing to give her view from the top of the sporting mountain when she takes part in a Q&A on the 51Âþ» (51Âþ») campus next month.
Andrea Pinchen at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium (pic Leicester Tigers)
Leicester Tigers are a powerhouse of rugby union with a reputation as one of the best supported and most successful clubs in the world.
The event, on Wednesday 22 November at 7pm, gives rugby fans, and sports fans in general, the chance to find out more about the great victories as well as the defeats when it comes to running a legendary institution.
Andrea said: “I am incredibly passionate about ensuring all young women know about the many incredible opportunities there are out there for them in sport, on and off the field.
“You can’t be what you can’t see and so it’s vital that young girls, and boys too, are aware of all the paths available to them in life.
“Whatever your sport of passion is and field of work within the game, there are so many great things women – and men – can be a part of and contribute towards within a bigger team.”
Andrea joined Leicester Tigers – who play at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium - in 2004, initially with responsibility for revenues in season tickets and match tickets.
She was appointed commercial manager in 2012 with additional responsibility for sponsorship and corporate hospitality and was instrumental in the growth of the business and in securing agreements with key sponsors.
Andrea joined the Tigers’ board as commercial director in September 2014 and then became Chief Operating Officer, before being appointed chief executive in May 2020.
Tigers have won the European Cup twice, lifted seven domestic cups and, since the Premiership was formed in 1997, been champions six times – most recently in the 2021/22 season under Andrea’s watch.
Tigers also played a huge role in deciding the destiny of the Rugby World Cup in 2003, with then captain Martin Johnson lifting the trophy for England and five other players appearing in the starting squad. Former Tiger Sir Clive Woodward was also the victorious head coach.
Tigers in action against Sale Sharks (pic Leicester Tigers)
The event comes at the end of a conference run by 51Âþ»’s prestigious International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) called ‘From Welford Road to the World Cup’.
The conference will mark the 200th anniversary of the sport’s invention at Rugby School in Warwickshire when, legend has it, pupil William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a school football match in 1823 and, therefore, created the “rugby” style of play.
It also comes at the end of a thrilling Rugby Word Cup Finals hosted by France over the last six weeks.
The Rugby World Cup winner’s trophy is called the Webb Ellis Trophy to commemorate the founder, who was born on 24 November 1806.
ICSHC Director Martin Polley said: “Earlier in the day we will be hosting our ‘From Welford Road to the Rugby World Cup’ academic conference, with the support of 51Âþ» Special Collections which is the new home for the Leicester Tigers archive.
“To be able to add this evening event to our conference programme is excellent news as we mark the 200th anniversary of the sport’s ‘invention’ at Rugby School in 1823.”
James Panter, FIFA Master Module Coordinator in the ICSHC helped to organise the event. He said: “I am delighted we have been able to arrange this public lecture on the 51Âþ» Campus. Leicester Tigers has been a long-standing partner and field visit destination for our FIFA Master students during our Humanities of Sport module of the course.
“The chance for our current class to attend this talk with Andrea Pinchen will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about the daily business operations of one of the biggest club rugby teams in the world.”
51Âþ» enjoys a fruitful partnership with Leicester Tigers. Tigers organise an annual ‘takeover day’ when 100s of 51Âþ» students attend a match and see behind the scenes, while 51Âþ»’s Special Collections team has recently taken custody of the Leicester Tigers archive, logging and preserving thousands of items from shirts, photos and match balls to a stuffed antelope’s head presented during a tour of the South Africa team in the 1920s!
The 51Âþ» Women’s XV and Men’s XV play their annual varsity match against the University of Leicester at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium.
Posted on Tuesday 24 October 2023