Magic Max (Marieanne Spacey-Cale sidebar)

A panel on Marieanne Spacey-Cale MBE, Southampton’s head of girls’ and women’s football technical department and manager of the first team, told through Shannon Sievwright’s account of working under her. Known as Max to team-mates through a playing career spent mostly at Arsenal, Spacey-Cale won 91 England caps and holds a UEFA Pro licence, having spent time on the England women’s coaching staff before joining Southampton in 2018. Sievwright says she was star-struck when Spacey-Cale arrived, and rates her most for something specific: having combined part-time football with a full-time job herself, she understands what that costs, and brings it to the training pitch and to matchdays. Sievwright, herself a coach, says the knowledge sharing has helped her in both roles.