Rachel Dugdale is a Northern Irish Professional Footballer who is currently playing as a defender for Reading FC in the FA Women’s Championship. She has experienced severe injury over her career, with her journey being a testament to her determination, overcoming setbacks to re-establish herself as a re-establish herself as a reliable and influential player for both her club and country. Away from the pitch she is the Founder of Prowess Marketing.
Rachel’s career began when she made her debut for Northern Ireland back in 2016 against Slovakia, she was also a part of the team that helped Norther Ireland qualify for their first ever Euros back in 2022. Her senior career began with Doncaster Rovers Belles, later playing for Charlton Athletic and Coventry United before rejoining Reading in 2023. Rachel has earned 37 caps for Northern Ireland contributing both defensively and tactically to her teams efforts.
Rachel suffered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2022 while training for Charlton. This meant that she spent 12 months on the side-lines, cruelly ending her chance of playing for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Euros. In her time spent on the sidelines she launched Prowess Marketing, a successful marketing agency that helps busy entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. Away from the pitch she also has a degree Philosophy, Politics & Economics as well as a masters in Business Leadership & Administration. Her knowledge from this has been extremely beneficial in her journey of founding Prowess Marketing.
As a speaker she is well qualified to share her experiences and enjoys talking about women’s sport, drawing on the challenges she has experienced being a woman in a male dominated sport, leadership, overcoming adversity, diversity, and equality. Rachel’s journey is inspiring and one of resilience, if you are looking for a inspiring talker for your next event, do not hesitate to hire Rachel today.
How to hire Rachel Dugdale
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Rachel Dugdale for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Rachel Dugdale's Official Speaker Topics are listed below:
- Leadership
- Diversity & Equality
- Understanding Pressure
- The Psychology of Winning
- Transferring Skills
- Pressure Management
- Working in a male environment
- Challenging Perceptions
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Rachel is an outstanding communicator, both on and off the pitch. She leads by example and keeps the team around her motivated, even in challenging situations, which is a true testament to her leadership skills. She consistently shows resilience, bouncing back from setbacks with determination and a positive attitude. Rachel is the sort of person you want to listen to as she has always got something impactful to say." - Tanya Oxtoby, Northern Ireland Women's International Manager
- 2024 - Signs for Blackburn Rovers
- 2023 - Signs for Reading Women FC after six months at Coventry Utd
- 2021 - Charlton Athletic Vice-Captain
- 2019 - Signs for Charlton Athletic
- 2018 - Boston College Soccer Scholarship, and competed in the ACC League Won the WSL 2 with Doncaster Rovers
- 2016 - Northern Ireland debut v Slovakia
- 2015 - Signs to Doncaster Rovers
- 2014 - Reading FC Academy Player of the Year
- 2010 - Reading Academy Squad
