PROFESSOR JANE TURNER AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
WINNER : MARRIE WIECZOREK
Sponsored by Northern Skills Group
A “ gobsmacked ” Marrie Wieczorek said she was not jealous of the high profile of female professional footballers after the stalwart of the women ’ s game was surprised with the Jane Turner Award for Outstanding Contribution .
But Maz , as she is known to friends , said their success shows how more opportunities are opening up for girls nowadays .
Middlesbrough College CEO and principal Zoe Lewis , who co-presented the award , told the near 450-strong audience how Maz was “ a proud Middlesbrough lass , the daughter of a Polish immigrant , who grew up loving football .”
She said : “ Our heroine went on to play for England 40 years ago , long before any of the glamour came to women ’ s football .
“ And when she hung up her boots , she set about creating the sort of opportunities she never enjoyed . For many years she has been a coach with the Middlesbrough FC Foundation , she was the long-term manager of Middlesbrough Ladies FC and she even took the team on a quite incredible trip to play games in North Korea .
“ And why did she do all that ? Well , to quote her , one of the reasons is , ‘ Because I didn ’ t like being told I couldn ’ t do something because I was ‘ just a woman ’!”
Proudly clutching her award , a thrilled Maz told Tees Business : “ I ’ m gobsmacked . I ’ m still shaking – I can ’ t believe it .
Outstanding Contribution – Marrie Wieczorek was presented with the last award of the night by Middlesbrough College chief executive Zoe Lewis and Jason Turner , husband of the late Professor Jane Turner .
“ Hand on heart , though , I ’ m not jealous of the girls now . I met up with some friends recently and we talked about this – if we ’ d missed out by a year or two it would be different , but we missed out by 40 years !
“ But I ’ ve had such a lot out of it and can ’ t complain . When people ask , ‘ Would you change anything in your life to do with football ?’, I certainly wouldn ’ t . And I ’ m delighted at the Lionesses ’ success . They ’ re excellent .
“ I ’ m really impressed with the way their skipper , Leah Williamson , speaks , and the way they all present themselves . It will make more females think , ‘ Yes , I can follow that path if I really try hard ’.”
Looking back on her own time in football with Middlesbrough , she reflected : “ We had a great team spirit and there were people in my team when we first started who maybe could have got into the Lionesses ’ squad – they just had natural talent .
“ But as far as I ’ m concerned , I don ’ t even think about how I played – I was never satisfied with my performances so I ’ d always strive to be fitter , stronger and do better . But over the 30-odd years , I might have played one or two good games ! And even now , although I ’ m just watching , I ’ m still totally passionate about it .
“ I never thought in my lifetime I ’ d see the improvements and how far women ’ s football has come . I went to the women ’ s FA Cup Final – a 50,000 crowd and a fantastic atmosphere – and the Euro finals showed how the game has improved so much .”
The Jane Turner Award for Outstanding Achievement is named in memory of the late Professor Jane Turner OBE DL , former pro vicechancellor at Teesside University , gender champion and founder of the Power of Women campaign .
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Zoe Lewis , principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College Group , said : “ As always , we were proud to headline sponsor the Tees Businesswomen Awards again this year . And on a personal note , it was an honour to present the incredible Marrie Wieczorek with the Jane Turner Award for Outstanding Contribution .
“ Long before this summer ’ s success for the England Lionesses , Marrie was a trailblazer for women ’ s football and is a true pioneer , not just for women ’ s football but for all women everywhere .”
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