Team GB Olympic champion Richardson-Walsh: From pitch hero to Pitchero

Ahead of one of the highest-attended female sports events this year Pitchero, the UK’s leading digital network for grassroots and amateur sports clubs, has unveiled former Team GB hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh as its first ever ambassador, to help encourage involvement and celebrate the achievements of lower-league players.

With latest Sport England figures finding female sport participation is at an all-time high, and on the eve of the Women’s FA Cup Final, Team GB’s most-capped player Richardson-Walsh particularly hopes to inspire more women to get involved in sport, made simple through grassroots platform Pitchero.

A long-term fan and user of the service, Richardson-Walsh will appear at Pitchero masterclasses and fan events, whilst becoming integral to player-focused social campaigns this year. Richardson-Walsh’s signature acts as a stamp of approval for the digital service, and through a soon-to-be-launched player app, all club members can take similar advantage of its content sharing functionalities through multiple platforms.

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Throughout a dazzling career and finale with Olympic gold in Rio 2016, Kate appreciates that her performance is the end product of great coaching, personal dedication and first-class tools to aid her on her journey.

Of the partnership, Richardson-Walsh said: “Progressing from lower-league amateur leagues through to becoming a multiple Olympian, I had plenty of experience of using Pitchero products on my own personal journey.

Potential

“I believe that there’s huge potential in the service to provide support for our next generation of athletes at whatever level they are performing. If we can motivate them to take part and celebrate their heroics, then that’s something I want to be involved in.”

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Pitchero’s Club app – relaunching this summer – is already being used by over 7,000 teams and 41,000 players, with additional updates to come this season for all users. The launch of Pitchero Play in September 2016 provides a unique instant video function allowing players to record and share real-time match footage through their club pages and social networks.

Mark Fletcher, CEO of Pitchero, said: “Kate is a great sporting ambassador, she’s achieved everything. Importantly for us, as someone who has used the product and understands the challenges in grassroots sport, she’s the perfect fit to help us shine the spotlight on the thousands of lower-league heroes across the country, playing a multitude of sports including hockey, football, rugby and cricket.”