Thousands of parents will be able to relate to being sucked in after volunteering at your kids’ youth football team and finding, before you know it, that your life revolves around the club. Very few, though, could imagine building that club into a professional outfit, competing for a place in the top flight and attracting investment from two EuroMillions winners.
That is what Lee Sanders and Dawn Hepple have achieved at Durham Women after sticking it out for more than 20 years to construct a team that are three points off a promotion place to the Women’s Super League. Now they say they have a “springboard to go on” after two long-term supporters, the lottery winners Patrick and Frances Connolly, acquired a 25% stake.
