Celia BrackenridgeOBE was a British sportswoman, campaigner and academic. In the mid-1980s, Brackenridge was recognised as the most capped Great Britain lacrosse player. She founded the Women's Sports Foundation UK and also conducted research into the physical and sexual abuse of young sportspeople by coaches.
Brackenridge began playing lacrosse while she was at the Lady Eleanor Holles School, and joined Putney Ladies' Lacrosse Club by the age of 15. She was selected for the first ever Surrey Junior team, and later the Junior South team. In the mid-1980s, Brackenridge was recognised as the most capped Great Britain lacrosse player. She played for England for 14 years. She was Captain between 1979 and 1982, including at the first Women's Lacrosse World Cup. She subsequently coached the England team, and served as Assistant Coach for the Harvard University Lacrosse team. She was influential in introducing American innovations in equipment and playing style to the UK.
Research and activism
Brackenridge founded the Women's Sports Foundation UK, which is now known as the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation. She also conducted research into the physical and sexual abuse of young sportspeople by coaches, for which she received hate mail and experienced obstruction from sports governing bodies. The English Football Association agreed to provide her with funding in 2000 to investigate clubs' child protection processes and monitor the FA's junior player protection strategy, but ended the project after two years due to what were described as "budget cuts". According to an obituary published in The Independent, the ending of the funding was a "result of internal disputes within the FA, and a disagreement between Adam Crozier, then FA chief executive, and Premier League clubs, which objected to the project". An obituary in The Sunday Times reflected: "As it turned out, the world of football was not ready for a gay former lacrosse international rummaging through its dirty linen". Later, Brackenridge worked with and advised organisations including UNICEF, the NSPCC, the International Olympic Committee and FIFA. Brackenridge joined Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education in 1994, where she was professor of sport and leisure. She moved to Brunel University as professor and director of the Centre for Youth Sport and Athlete Welfare in 2005 and retired in 2010, becoming professor emerita. For her work in sports equality and child protection, Brackenridge was awarded an OBE in 2012. Between 1994 and 2010, she convened the Sexual Harassment Task Force for Women Sport International. Brackenridge's work was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards.
Personal life
Brackenridge's partner was Diana Woodward, with whom she entered into a civil partnership in 2006. Brackenridge died in May 2018 of leukaemia.
