Katee Hui
Katee Hui started Hackney Laces in 2011 after realising there were not enough opportunities for girls and women to play football in her local area. Hui, who is a qualified football coach working towards her UEFA B licence, began the club in 2011 with just a few girls, offering free training and fitness sessions. There are now more than 350 women and girls of all ages attending sessions across the capital between Hackney Laces and its two sister clubs, Limehouse Laces and South London Laces. Hui also started Extra Time sessions off the pitch which offering a range of extra-curricular mentoring for the women and girls who play football. Sessions have included helping teenagers with their CVs, talks from inspirational speakers, and first aid for knife crime victims. Hui, whose work for Hackney Laces is entirely voluntary, won a Points of Light award from then-prime minister David Cameron in 2015. During lockdown, she organised online sessions and kit deliveries to keep the Laces community active.