“I Want Us to be the Biggest Self-Sustaining Independent Women’s Club in the Country” Rugby Borough Women Reaching for New Heights the Right Way
Fierce, Gritty, Kind. These are just a few of the words CEO Max Turner used to describe Rugby Borough Women, a project grown from dedicated investment in women and girls football, championing player pathways and developing a determined culture. Third in last season's Northern Premier Division, Rugby are sitting at the top and three points in front after game week seven. They are looking even more determined for success, ready to fulfill their exciting promotion ambitions.
Women’s football is often about more than just 90 minutes on the pitch. It’s about the development of values, nurturing a fanbase, prioritizing player welfare and creating an environment with longevity and sustainability, something in the women's lower tiers we have seen all too recently has become more of an expectation than the rule.
Rugby Borough Women seem to be more than just a football club. Rebranding and relocating Coventry United FC into the Rugby Borough club infrastructure after their relegation from the Championship (now WSL2) in 2023, the Boro have maintained investment, created a clear identity and driven consistency, embarking on a record FA Cup run and almost making the promotion play off last season.
Her Game Her Way sat down with Rugby Borough CEO Max Turner at the beginning of the season to discuss the club's ambitious season ahead, creating an environment built on morality and determination, passionate about doing things a bit differently.
The Power of Independence
A project driven by a genuine care for women's sports and the pathways that sustain it is vital for the continued growth of the sport. Rugby Borough is an independent club that operates a multi-tier community orientated model, with a dual partnership between Rugby Borough Women, the senior competitive set up, and Rugby Borough Women and Girls which handles grassroots operations, pathways and is managed by an all-female team.
The club recently announced the launch of their Female Talent Pathway to strengthen the sides long term development, creating a clear path between grassroots and senior football offering a high performance environment whilst still allowing players to continue in their local and familiar grassroots teams. Each player in the pathway will have an individual development plan and be trained in the strong values and set up of senior football starting from U12 and U16. Their independence allows the side to ‘do football’ their own way, creating partnerships that spearhead the sides longevity and club pride. Turner was clear on how central these development roots are to the team, both on and off the field.
“Are we committed to the women and the girls within our club being able to come through the pathway and be the best possible players they can be? Yes, absolutely. But to be honest, it's about having the pathway which doesn't just value football, we value the individual within football. So what Rugby Borough have done is ensure that we're representative of the people within our club, understanding that the players are humans with all these different multifaceted lives and have lots going on. We’ve just had our first ever educational placement registered with us so Borough is going to become an almost unregistered educational place. In the same way that, look at Wrexham, if you're a Wrexham fan now, you might know nothing about football but you just like Wrexham, we think that our moral fabric is as important as the football we play really well. We have agreements with the local clubs so that the youngest of children can see their idols playing and can come through the ranks.”
A multifaceted business approach seems to be the key to Borough's success, offering an education placement allowing players to have further commitments alongside and after their football career. Turner highlighted the benefits of not just creating world class footballers, but all rounded professionals as well.
“We don't want to be in a situation where our club is effectively at the mercy of whether a men's club does well or not. We're an independent club, we're really, really proud to be an independent club, we will stay an independent club and we want our fans to see us as such. We have our first registered school placement, that means that the players can also choose a career as a teacher when they finish playing.”
As independent clubs in the FAWNL go, Lewes is another example where the women aren't pushed to the sidelines with the club pledging equal financial backing to both men's and women’s outfits. This commitment to women's football specifically is central to the sustainability of the game in a time where clubs are struggling for finances at an alarming rate, Cheadle Town Stingers, in Division One North, being a good example of recent precarity. It was clear that championing women's football is central to Rugby, and Turner's values and ethos, seeing the commercial and social importance of valuing the women's game.
“I think if you look at the football pyramid over the past few years, there's been a number of cases where a men's team has struggled and the women's team suffered. I heard somebody the other day and said, ‘when a men's team sneeze, the women's team catches a cold’. What we want is to be sustainable. If we get promoted, and we actually will get promoted this year, we want to stay there. We don't want to go “Oh, do you know what? The men's team had a bad game, therefore we're going to have to close the club”. In terms of sustainability, it's about seeing the club as more than football. So whether that's education, and that's a great place to start, that makes us quite stable. But equally, whether it's just about identity and going ‘support the borough because we're trying to be really good people’, and if that's your value base, it doesn't actually matter whether you're really into football. You can just go, these people are trying to do sport in the right way. So it's about, from a commercial perspective, helping people understand and doing things right.”
Team Culture
On what defines Rugby Borough Women, Turner highlighted the growing cultural values that the club are embedding, built on integrity, development and personal support.
“I think (our culture) is growing. It's really easy to say that we've got an inclusive culture, we've also got a kind culture, and kind is a word which is not used enough. But we've actually got quite a fierce culture as well. Professionally, I have a background in education and I think the women's game has got a long way to go in terms of safeguarding and there's elements within the game that I don't always feel comfortable with. So, while we're kind, and we really value that, if you treat our players badly, you'll find that we're not kind anymore. I think you should be fierce, we quite often talk about education, education all the time but if you racially abuse one of our players, then I'm not bothered about education. I'm not okay with you and I'm going to protect my player. You know, if you discriminate against one of our players in terms of gender, then I'm not okay with that. I'm going to be fierce in my response. So, you know, yes, we want our culture to be kind, but we're quite happy to be fierce as well.”
Ambitions are big in Warwickshire, showing independence and finances don’t need to be a barrier to success, a richly embedded culture and strong end goals are central for the teams long term pathway to glory. Third last season and going for more, the team hope to use their community roots and strong foundations to push for future sustainability.
“The longer term plan is absolutely to be a WSL. There's an argument to say that at the moment we're probably the third biggest independent club in the country. We're so proud of that and would always protect that. But I want us to be the biggest self-sustaining women's club, independent in the country. That's the absolute goal because I don't want to in the future have to bomb off a player because of finances. We can go, no, we have a club now which is built around a multifaceted approach. So we've got our education here, we've got our marketing, which is quite proudly controversial at times. I always hope we get in trouble because I want us to say something. I don't just want us to be vanilla. You don't always want that glitzy glamour, you want something real to be said. In the same way like I said about safeguarding, if it’s not ok, let's call it out. We've got a very generous owner that has effectively put millions into the club to sustain it over the years. If we can get it right, our budget says that by the end of this year, we should actually be making money, which for an independent club is massive. Now that won't be money that comes out, that'll be money that goes back in. So, you know, I want us to be there and then build on it . Ideally, it would be lovely to have a model where we can go and support other clubs who have a similar value base.”
CEO Turner was clear that independence is a major advantage, having a strong moral backbone and a clear value base allows autonomy, with Rugby creating a side to be feared on the pitch, but commended for a different approach off it.
“Some days I wish I had like a huge, huge sponsorship deal because it would mean that we have to scrabble around less and have a bit more room in budgets. But the truth is, it does mean that we do steer our own ship. We're not beholden to other people. It also means that when we get brands that want to come in and sponsor us, they're the right people. If you just want this vanilla approach to women's football, which is always chasing the men's game, how can we make it more like the men's game, then do you know what, don't sponsor Rugby Borough, we don't want you. If you want to be involved with us because we're different and we're going to push a boundary and we're going to be a bit edgy at times, then come and get involved, I do think that has commercial merit.”
Promotion Charge
Turner didn't hesitate when asked about Rugby’s season ahead. From 5th in 2024/25 to 3rd last season, the team naturally progressed up the Northern Premier Division ranks, with the next step a dash for WSL2 football. His confidence in the side was palpable, changing approach to recruit players who weren’t just great on the pitch, but fit the club's ethos off it too, was a risk that has paid off.
“There's absolutely no doubt that we'll get promoted. If you've got a mortgage, take the money, put your mortgage on it, we’ll get promoted. Joking aside, I think when you look at Rugby's performance against Wolves in a Cup Final and just how strong we were against a team who had a great season. I think something that's really important to recognise, and our management team did superbly well with this, is that a couple of seasons ago, we decided that we were going to change the way that we were profiling signings. Rather than just looking at ability on the pitch, we put a lot of effort into understanding who these people are, how do they fit into us? Have they got the moral fabric we want? That was a really brave move because at times we probably turned down signings that were absolute Rolls Royce’s on the pitch but we now have this cohort of players who have outstanding ability on the pitch and you know Malika (Apinida), she's so incredibly fast, she's such a player, but she's a decent person as well. So when you watch Rugby Borough now and they go through a bad 10 minutes, a bad period, you don't see heads go down, you don't see players getting onto each other and that's why we're going to get promoted and win the league this season.”
Whilst promotion is the central ambition, it is clear that sticking to their values and continuing to harness their team culture is the most important sign of success for the club. Turner was clear that sticking to their moral values will spur the team forward, not hinder them, approaching football in a way that puts the club, its people and its values first.
“I want us to take care of our players. Promotion's great, but of course I hope that we get promoted, but I don't want us to get promoted because we've been brutal with fringe players. I don't want us to get promoted because we've got a management team that's bullying players and shouting at them. I want us to be promoted because we’ve treated people in the right way. I really believe in that, so actually, if we can't get promoted through doing that, I don't really want to get promoted.”
A Beautiful Game Indeed
Women’s sport is rapidly ascending, with women's football set to be a top 5 sport in 2030. Rugby is branching out from just spearheading football, signing two Thai boxers Winnie and Tilly who have fought for England in Bangkok because they shared the club's values.
Women’s football is still often about more than just the game played on the pitch, with the close proximity of National League football offering figures of inspiration and a beacon of hope for young people that they can do it too. Rugby are clear on their community focus, championing the next generation. For the final question after such an impassioned and honest interview from the club CEO, Turner was asked the reason why he too, like so many of us, love women’s sport. He gave a very personal response that showed how, at Rugby Borough, women's football is all about the people.
“I was with my daughter over the summer and we went to get a sticker album for the World Cup. We got the album and a couple of sticker packs and I said, “Oh who’ve you got?” and she was like “Where’s Mbappe?” and she's talking about all of these kinds of players. But then I said “Who's the best player in the world?” She said Katie Morris, and she didn't hesitate, Katie Morris. That's because, one, she's class, she's so good, the miles that girl covers. But actually it's because she goes to the side of the pitch and Katie talks to her and she has time for her. That's the beautiful thing about women's football. When we had a really tough game, a midweek game in the winter against Wolves, it didn't go well. But at the end of the game, all of our players were there in the driving rain, freezing, talking to the fans, talking to the people.
So it's just about being genuine, honest, and a bit gritty at times.”
Rugby got their ambitious season underway with a statement 5-0 win against newly promoted Peterborough United. With only one shock loss so far and three points clear at the top, this ambition seems to be paying off. Their FA Cup run begins against tier 4 opposition Sporting Khalsa on Sunday 25th of October at home, the visitors currently sit second in Division One Midlands.
Rugby Borough Women is built from a strong ethos, championing the grassroots game and pledging to operate football differently. Remember the name.