Football academician Becky plays long game

Footballer Becky has celebrated 20 years with Wetherspoon.

Becky started work as a pot-washer at The Five Quarter and is now an area manager for Wetherspoon in northeast England.

Her sister Vicky was working there at the time and suggested that Becky should apply.

But while working at the pub, she had her sights set on other things.

Becky showed real early promise as a footballer, winning a place at East Durham and Houghall Football Academy – at the time the best in the country.

She attended the academy while working at The Five Quarter – where Vicky was a shift manager.

Becky said: “I’m going to blow my own trumpet a bit – I am good at football and I’m sure I’d have progressed further, had there been the opportunities 20 years ago for young women which there are now.”

Instead, Becky rose through the ranks at Wetherspoon, first moving back to her home city of Bradford to work at The Turls Green.

She worked her way up to kitchen manager within a short space of time.

“It was at this point that I decided that I really wanted to push my career with Wetherspoon, so I applied for a shift manager’s job there and, after eight months, when I was 23, got my first pub, said Becky.

She served as pub manager at The Sir Norman Rae for 14 months and then moved on to The Lord Wilson for two and a half years.

The pub Becky most enjoyed running, though, was The Winter Gardens, where she worked for eight years. “I loved it there,” she said.

“It’s a gorgeous pub, busy and with lots of potential to grow.”

But when the chance for further advancement came, in the form of promotion to area manager, she felt that she had to go for it.

After a few months covering her local area manager, a permanent vacancy came up in northeast England – and she applied.

That was two and a half years ago and was a busy, but blissful, time in her life, as it was then that she married wife Holly.

The couple now has a baby daughter, Darcie.

Becky still plays Sunday league football and intends to go on doing so.

“I’ve found a happy place in my home life, career and my hobby, football, so I just want to keep it all going,” she said.

The William Stead’s pub manager, Jonathan, is pictured presenting Becky with her long-service award.

“I’m going to blow my own trumpet a bit – I am good at football and I’m sure I’d have progressed further, had there been the opportunities 20 years ago for young women which there are now.”

Becky Teale