It is not hard to pinpoint the moment that inspired the Football Association’s development manager for diversity and inclusion in the women’s game, Rachel Pavlou, known affectionately in the game as Pav, to lead a life dedicated to women’s football: it was the day her playing career started and ended at the age of seven.
“I played in the playground with the boys, like most girls do at primary school, and the maths teacher came out and said: ‘I want you to come to the trials this afternoon. You’re brilliant, come and play,’” she says.
