Page 38 - 360633 LP236168 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (April 2022)

THE
INTERVIEW
WITH: MEL REAY
Mel Reay has been in the game for a long time, having started her professional career at aged 14. It all began at Cowgate Kestrels, which over a number of years and through numerous changes, eventually became the Sunderland Ladies of today. Mel recommends the book Kicking The Boy’s Balls by Jane Ashworth, which chronicles the evolution of Sunderland Ladies, from its unlikely beginnings in Cowgate.
After many years with Sunderland, Mel moved to Newcastle at the tail end of her career before her switch to coaching. This transition was made easier by the fact that Mel was already working part time as a coach, so it was a natural progression after her career ended. Mel’s experience as a coach belies her age, it is something she has done day in, day out for years. In the 2013/14 season, she re- joined Sunderland, eventually becoming the head coach in 2017.
Of course, we had to ask her about that move to the Mags. In the men’s game this would be met with ire and derision but in the women’s game,
it appears to not be as big of a deal. With this in mind, what are the derbies like in women’s football?
“Newcastle are two leagues below us, so we don’t really play them in any competitive games. We played them when we were in tier three in the National Cup and we beat them at the Stadium of Light. Of course, there’s going to be rivalry, form and league status going out of the window, but Sunderland have always been the dominant team in the North East, in women’s football.”
There is a strange inverse relationship between the North East sides. The men and women are two leagues apart, as readers will be acutely aware,
we are two leagues below. Next season though, Sunderland men’s season ticket holders will
be able to follow the Ladies home games for free, so in some capacity, you can experience being above the Mags. We asked Mel what this initiative means for the Ladies.
“It’s an opportunity to share marketing strategies and to try and showcase the other teams that the club have. If it’s a way to get more fans through the door to support the teams, than that’s great for the club. There’s obviously a few teams
that come under the Sunderland banner so we just want the supporters to know that there is a Ladies team and they can come along and support them.”
Mel was a prolific striker during her playing days, both in red and white and for Newcastle. Among her relatives, she counts her cousin, Alan Shearer. Despite our natural antipathy to the man, we had to ask if she had got any tips off of him, with both of them playing as forwards.
“Not really to be honest. I got asked about this a lot when I was younger, but not really.”
Mel has been in the sport for a long time, despite her age. Over her career, the game has altered
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