Course Director called up for international football duty
By: Communications
Julia Robathan, Course Director of PE, Sport and Health in EDU, was ‘called up’ by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) for their U16 Men’s International Tournament, to act as the lead for safeguarding and welfare.
Julia was meant to be going on holiday when she got the call from UEFA to go out to Spain and work with the international teams attending the tournament. As the safeguarding manager, she oversaw the teams from Italy, Belgium, Nigeria, and England, as their under-16 footballers got a taste of playing internationally.
Julia said: “It was an opportunity to observe elite sport in action with a front-row seat and these young players will be the future of international football. Seven years ago it would have been names such as Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham taking part in this tournament.
The best 100 under-16 footballers in Europe have the opportunity to compete, and Julia is a friendly face to the players to put them at ease in such a new environment.
Julia’s job was to mitigate any risks faced by the young players, and it wasn’t her first time working in the role. She had a similar experience in 2022, as safeguarding lead for Stadium MK at the Women’s Euros Tournament, where she was able to attend the final and see England come away as European champions. As the designated safeguarding manager, duties included supporting other staff caring for the athletes, spectators, and several hundred flagbearers.
This time around her position included the responsibility of helping all the teams, making sure spectators stayed in the right places, and staying in the Nations Hotel with all the athletes to keep an eye on them and make sure they were happy and safe as, for some of them, it was their first time away from their family and home.
Julia said: “I tried to have a moment to take it all in, and appreciate the fact that people paid to be there and watch, and I was getting to see the future of football before my very eyes. I got to meet some incredible people and listen to the amazing stories from those taking part in the event.”
Julia got a glance into how the facility in Spain worked to run major events, getting a behind-the-scenes look into the operations of a regulation game. One of her highlights was sitting behind the team benches during the Italy v Belgium game and getting to witness the team operations, noting it was interesting that most countries coached in English.
Julia also took the time while working to gather resources for her students, saying: ''Whilst abroad, I was able to document and vlog insights into the running and delivery of these multi-cultural elite sporting events, as learning resources for our High-Performance Sport module and Sports Development degree students at UEA.’’
Her grateful students were behind her nomination at the Transforming Education Awards, where Julia was the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's Award. Julia said: "It is really kind that the students took the time to write in a nomination, and I am really thankful to them for nominating me and other EDU colleagues, as it means a lot to us that we have helped some way in the students' journeys at UEA. Sport itself is a really cool tool that we have the ability to use to bring people into Higher Education who perhaps would not otherwise want to come, and it supports the confidence, health, and wellbeing of all students on campus, so it is great that sport can also be recognised via this award."
England has just won the bid to host the Men’s Euros in 2028, and Julia hopes to be able to take part again, having rewritten the UEFA Safeguarding Plan and working as a consultant for many years.
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