Page 24 - 360633 LP236168 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (April 2022)

THE GIRL WHO TURNED HER DAD INTO A MAG
Claudia Moan is the SAFC Ladies goalkeeper, and a childhood Sunderland fan. At 23, Claudia has played for the likes of Durham-based Lumley Ladies, Newcastle United Women and now the club she was raised to support.
We caught up with her dad, Keith, to chat about his pride for Claudia, some standout memories and the overall development of the women’s game. He also spoke about becoming a Newcastle supporter during Claudia’s time on Tyneside, although his love for SAFC never waned.
How much pride does it give you to see Claudia playing for Sunderland?
I’ve been proud of Claudia for so many different things in her life. She’s done so many amazing things. But obviously wearing a red and white shirt is up there with the best. So, me and her whole family is very proud of her.
How important is it that the women’s game is now getting more coverage and becoming more popular?
I think that’s a benefit for fans and players alike. The more coverage the ladies get, the more of a fanbase they get and there’s more interest in the sport. Like everyone says, the fanbase is a big part of it- it’s like an extra person on the team. I think that more coverage is better, it’s a great sport to watch and I enjoy it, from internationals to the local sides.
There’s still a lot of work to do though to get it equal in terms of coverage and respect to the men’s game isn’t there?
Without a doubt. Without the coverage, the supporters can’t see what a sport they’re missing. So, there’s a lot of work to be done on that part.
Whilst Ladies’ football is shown on TV more often now, it still doesn’t get the quality in-depth analysis like the men’s game. Keith explains that there is content out there, but supporters have to go searching for it.
I’d rather it be on the TV rather than have to go on podcasts and the like to hear about it, because not everyone’s got access to that.
As a Sunderland fan, how did you feel when Claudia was playing for Newcastle as a youngster?
She needed first team football at the time, and Newcastle phoned up and offered her first team football. I went along to the home games and became a closet Mag! Eventually I became an out-
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