Catching up with BABE City FC

What made you decide to set up this women's football club? What’s the idea behind it and your team ethos?

I used to play football as a kid, I played religiously until I went to film school. At film school there wasn’t any sport available to us. When I left university I really tried to join a team but what with the industry being so unpredictable I was always letting a team down and they didn’t understand. This year I spent the whole year shooting long form. For the first time in my life I had a weekend and yet I was almost too tired to do anything with it. I wanted to socialise and exercise but couldn’t find an outlet. Someone invited me to play with their film crew but it was a bit hectic for me. I wanted to start something that gave women / non binary people a space to kick ball without having to commit or feel any pressure. - Molly Manning Walker - Cinematographer

Babe City FC was born out of a group of women and non-binary friends in the film industry who used to get together twice a year for what we called a “Babe Banquet.” It was a chance to share stories and grievances about the film industry over dinner. When Molly mentioned she wanted to start this football club, bringing the name over from our group made total sense. A lot of the founding members of Babe City were from those dinner parties! It’s since grown beyond our imagination and every week someone new from a different department shows up ready to kick a ball around. It’s truly magical to meet folk from different parts of the industry - as a producer you often feel a little removed from your team. In football, you really have to adopt the same skills that make for a good team player - you need to listen to others, collaborate, look people in the eye, pick each other up when you fall over and don’t be afraid to fail. Sorcha Bacon - Producer

Our ethos is to be open, respectful, positive, kind and support each other. We’re a team on the pitch, we’re a team at work. George Buxton - Costume Designer

It’s also camaraderie. Working together towards a shared goal, on the pitch, on set or at my desk, seems without it wouldn’t be worth it. I spend a lot of time at work at the ‘prep stage’, where me and my team are working through problems, and a problem shared, well, is much better together. Like the keeper passing you the ball at your end, you look up and try to workout the best way to get to the other side, you can’t do it alone. Meghan Young - Production

Working in film, means it’s quite hard to commit to any sort of outdoor activity, how does Babe FC cope with that?

When we set up Babe City FC our initial memo “was zero commitment required.” The hours we work in the film industry are often long, and often unpredictable and so making time every week for an activity is often quite difficult. We just like to set up a space where people can come and play and kick a ball around without feeling you are letting everyone down if you then can’t come. Sorcha Bacon - Producer

I think Babes cope with it because there are so many members who are keen to play. So it means that if you’re not available for one week, you’re not letting everyone down! There’s usually someone who wants to sub in. It is quite special to have something consistent to commit to though and when you’re used to your schedule changing or moving around for your work, it’s really nice to have something that you want to go to every week. It’s the best of both worlds because the commitment feels low pressure but the consistency is really fulfilling. Temi Wilkey - Writer, Actor, Director

What is your end goal as a team?

We started at our league game last Sunday and won 5-1. We’ll be playing for the next 14 weeks and then we’ll see - maybe the women’s super league after that? Molly Manning Walker - Cinematographer

World domination. - Temi Wilkey - Writer, Actor, Director

I’d love for Babe City FC to be country wide. With our film industry booming and taking place all across the UK it would be amazing if there were local factions of Babe City - I’m imagining a Babe Man City FC or Babe Edinburgh City FC. It’s the most magical thing that we’ve set up Sorcha Bacon - Producer.

The best part of being a part of Babe City is seeing how much progress everyone makes on a weekly basis, we are all loving playing so much that we all want to constantly improve. I can’t see one clear end goal but seeing us get increasingly better and stronger as a team is incredible and I’d love to see how far we can take it.- Charlotte Croft - Camera

How can we join?

Get in touch with us on our instagram @babecityfc and we’ll let you know about our upcoming sessions! We train at the power league in Shoreditch every Sunday and have recently started playing as part of the Goal Posts league - it’s a 5 a-side league for women & non binary teams, which focuses on collaboration and community. It’s everything we stand for and are excited to be involved! Sorcha Bacon - Producer

Photography courtesy of Molly Manning