From Bedford to the FA: Baroness Sue Campbell on championing women’s sport and leading cultural change

A former student of Bedford College of Physical Education, Sue’s early experiences in the town helped shape a remarkable career that has taken her from grassroots coaching to the highest levels of Olympic and professional sport. Today, she stands as a passionate advocate for equality, wellbeing, and the transformational power of physical activity.

Recognised as one of the UK’s leading sports speakers, Sue Campbell has inspired audiences with her insight into high-performance culture, inclusive leadership, and female empowerment. As one of the country’s foremost leadership speakers and a pioneer among female inspirational speakers, Sue continues to influence policy, participation, and purpose across the sports sector — from local schools to the Lionesses.

In this exclusive interview, Sue reflects on her formative years in Bedford, the ongoing challenges facing women in sport, and why authentic leadership and cultural change are key to shaping a more inclusive future — both on and off the field.

Q: As someone who trained at Bedford College of Physical Education, how did your time in Bedford influence your journey into sports and leadership?

Sue Campbell: “Um, well I was a sporty kid. So, from a very early age I spent my life outside. Those were the times when, you know—because of my ancient years—they were the times when children could play in the streets. So I was either climbing trees, playing football. I just loved to be active.

“And so, all the way through school I was not good academically. I was always looking out the window at what was going on outside and wanting to be out there. But fortunately, I had a very good PE teacher who persuaded me that I wouldn’t earn a living playing sport—which you wouldn’t have done in my era—or coaching it, but you could earn a living teaching it. So, I went to Bedford College of Physical Education. So my life—I started as a teacher.”

Q: What structural and cultural barriers do women still face in sport, both at grassroots and professional levels — and how can local communities like Bedford help close the gap?

Sue Campbell: “Well, I think, well if you're looking at participation, we still lag behind our male counterparts. You know, there are a myriad of reasons and you can't be simplistic about it. I do think social media has an impact. I think the decline in physical education and sport in our state schools has had an impact.

“And I think we haven't done enough to help girls and women understand their bodies as well as they might, and understand how important it is to be active. It doesn't mean play sport necessarily, but it just means being active, being healthy, being well. Because I'm a great believer that physical and mental health are incredibly kept locked together. So, you know, if we don't take good care of ourselves physically, we probably won't take good care of ourselves mentally.

“In terms of the other end of sport—the professionalisation of women's sport—I'm now part of a group which has got netball, football, rugby, cricket, all of us working together because we're all facing the same issues. Which is that players want to be paid. People want to watch professional women's sport, but raising the broadcast money and the commercial money to make it viable—massively challenging.

“So, wherever you look there are challenges. And equally, I think all of us would say, massive challenges in growing our number of volunteers, our coaches, our referees/stroke umpires. You know, it is still a very challenging time.”

Q: From your leadership roles at UK Sport and The FA, what practical advice would you give to women in Bedfordshire striving to make their voices heard in traditionally male-dominated industries?

Sue Campbell: “Well, I probably had two experiences—one as Chair of UK Sport, when I was responsible for our Olympic and Paralympic medals through London and Rio.

“And I think there, I inherited a culture which was very much based on continuing to invest in the way we always had, but hoping we were going to get something different. So there, in order to get some more equality in investment—and therefore more equality in opportunity—in a way, being Chair of UK Sport, I had the power, if you want to think of it that way, the authority to distribute money in a different way.

“And through that investment we drove up, and you saw, I think in Paris, that there were more women participants than male, which is fantastic. And for us here in the UK, I do think that the London Games was a real watershed moment for girls and women doing well in pretty well all of the Olympic and Paralympic sports. Which was, you know, I call that the shop window. It's vitally important that young people see the shop window and can see people that they look up to and respect, and want to try and achieve.

“In football, I came into a culture which was very male-dominated, and I wasn't the boss—which is always different. I was Head of, and then Director of, Women’s Football. So, responsible in a sense for setting the strategy, but changing the culture from within is much harder than changing it from on top.

“And so, changing the culture within the organisation took a lot of pain and a lot of endeavour on my part and on the part of the people who worked with me. So, it was about being very consistent about language, about the way we conducted ourselves, about not being overly aggressive about what we needed to do—but being sensible about holding our ground on certain things, but not turning everything into a war.

“And I do think the culture has changed dramatically within the FA. Still a way to go, but massive change from when I first went in. So I would say to any woman entering—either in a senior position or in a, you know, a middle management position—be true to yourself, be authentic, and live out the values and behaviours that you believe are right.

“And you'll be amazed that eventually people come with you, because there's a lot of people feel that way that aren't a little—not quite brave enough to take that step towards being different. So, it's an expression I use often, which is: to make real change, you have to be prepared to swim upstream. And so, for me, swimming upstream is the only way you change a culture.”

Q: When you speak publicly about sport and leadership, what key reflections or calls to action do you hope resonate most with local audiences?

Sue Campbell: “Well, I hope, most importantly, that it gives them time to reflect and think. Mine is one perspective, but I hope my perspective—built on a lot of years of experience of getting things wrong as well as right—I hope gives them time to think about: is there another way? Is there a different way?

“So I hope it challenges their thinking, but I hope they also leave inspired, feeling that tomorrow can be a better day, and that we can all work together to make business, sport, a better place for people to grow, develop, and earn a living.”

This exclusive interview with Sue Campbell was conducted by Chris Tompkins.