This week we speak to Lucy Jordan. Lucy joined Open Access over two years ago and is part of the original line up of the Clapton CFC affiliated 5-a-side team, Clapton Cageys FC. Lucy also acts as an OA welfare rep and OA committee member. She loves her job as Teacher of Film & TV Production for 16-19 year olds, alongside directing and producing short films in her spare time.

She has put those skills to great use for the club, through her brilliant updates of the Cageys instagram page which has caught the attention of the FA and even some celebrity “likes” 💅

Somehow, Lucy has also found the time to set up ‘Beginner Bumps’, an open invite skate session for women/nb skaters who want to learn every Sunday.

What’s your OA origin story?

My good friend Pip and I would always chat about a bubbling interest in football at work and when we both ended up in East London, she did meticulous research and landed on OA as a safe home for us to learn. When I first turned up, Julie jokingly called me Lucy Bronze and at that point, I had no idea who she was because I had no strong relationship to the sport, especially the women’s game. I don’t think Julie knows this, but I went home and looked her up and after that point, all I wanted was to play just like her. And the rest is history. Being a footballer and part of Clapton CFC has become my whole identity haha!

Why is OA so special?

This is a big question for me – so big in fact that Carrie (Clapton Cageys FC defender but also my gorgeous, smart and caring good friend ❤️ ) and I decided to make a documentary about it – This Is Our Game – which we hope to finish this year.

But the answer is – OA is so special because of Julie and Ellie. They are all heart, protect the space fiercely and know exactly how to develop female/nb footballers. I didn’t have access to football in the way I wanted to growing up and now I do… and I started playing properly at 34. I never leave a Saturday morning session without a massive smile on my face.

OA also gave me my team Clapton Cageys FC who have been, and continue to be, the most consistent support network, the most committed players and the greatest joy in my week every Tuesday. OA also gave me the inspiration and the actual model to create a women/nb beginners session for skateboarding in Hackney, which is honestly now a tribute to the original idea Julie and Ellie had. In short, my life would look entirely different if I had never joined OA.

Dream 5-a-side?

Always the Cageys but if I had to choose:

GK – Mary Earps
DF – Lucy Bronze
MF – Phil Foden
MF – Keira Walsh
FW – Paul Mullin