Wrexham fans who wear their heart on their sleeve

No. 10:  Babs DeRosa

Peter Davies meets the one and only woman on the WFC Board.

Background: She's a director and she works at Colliers Park. More than anything - she's a fan.

Setting: A small office at Colliers Park. Babs is sitting next to her typewriter. It's 1pm.

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How would you describe your involvement at the club? Are there many other female directors in Britain?

"I'm a fan and a director. There aren't a lot of female directors around. I know there's one at Notts County - maybe a dozen in the league in total. My family is heavily involved at the club."

Tell us about your background.

"I grew up as a Wrexham fan, and for the last couple of years I've been involved in an official sense. Growing up as a fan, I was never officially connected with the club, but I did attend things like testimonial functions, for example. At the moment I'm a director and also Administrator at the Wrexham FC Academy. For 22 years I was involved in the family business - wholesale newsagents. The business was busy amalgamating with another company in Ellesmere Port and I really didn't want to travel. So I finished with the business and stayed out of work for four years. I did work part-time in the Maelor Hospital as a ward clerk, which I enjoyed very much. If I was going to involve myself in anything again it was going to have to revolve around football."

What about your day-to-day role?

"Being a director is not a full-time job - directors have full-time jobs away from football. Decisions are taken at Board meetings, which take place about every six weeks. I work at Colliers Park most mornings. There's an element of flexibility in my job, which I really appreciate."

What does being a director involve?

"As a director you have a different matchday routine. I was invited to become a director. You have to commit yourself both financially and practically to the club, attend Board meetings and look after visiting directors."

What are your memories as a fan?

"My first memories are when I was maybe 10. Originally I used to stand near to the old Directors' Box on the Mold Road side. It was the era of Dave Gaskell in goal and Eddie May - the late-'60s and early-'70s. I was in love with football and Wrexham FC in particular. I don't remember that many specific matches, but I do recall all the adulation. I also stood on the old Kop - where the away end is now - and the old Paddock."

How sport-orientated in general?

"As a youth I was always very competitive - especially in games like netball and squash. I come from a family that is closely associated with Wrexham FC, but as individuals the members of my family are not sporting in the sense of playing competitive sport. I'm sure I would have grown up as a massive Wrexham fan anyway - it wasn't just the influence of my family. I love all sports - except cricket and horse racing."

What about your job?

"I enjoy the job I do at Colliers Park. The former Centre of Excellence formulated a business plan; as part of this they were looking for an Administrator, to be based at Colliers Park. For me the offer of the job came out of the blue - it was Brian Flynn who asked me - and I was delighted to accept. I love working at Colliers Park - it's great. I see the players every day but I'm not star-struck anymore. I'm immune to it! I know that footballers can get a lot of adulation and adoration - they're something very special to a lot of people - but I suppose that to me now they're just individuals, just ordinary lads."

Tell us a little about your family.

"I worked with my Dad and brothers for 20 years in business. I'd say that the whole family is on the same wavelength - we all know where Dad is coming from in what he says and does. I'd say that Dad is fair, determined and firm with everybody - that's his policy. He treats people well. There are swings and roundabouts in business but I'm beginning to feel that in football it's different. In soccer there's also emotion and passion. Footballers have short careers and as a result it's a very unusual kind of business."

And the Board of Directors.

"I think some other clubs' boards have a family flavour, but I guess that Wrexham is quite unusual with four family members involved. It makes for a very trusting set-up - things wouldn't work as well as they do without trust. It's a really strong bond and as a Board we don't want to let Brian down."

What are your Dad's priorities?

"The club's financial security is very important to Dad. He acts in an open and professional way. He encourages people to complain when they've got a problem, but obviously he hates receiving negative letters. He gets a lot of good, positive letters too - but whatever the type he always tries to deal with things personally. Being a director myself I now get an interesting insight into the way Dad works - I'm lucky to find myself in this situation."

What's it like as a female director?

"I wouldn't say I'm patronised anywhere. Most clubs are very open and at boardroom level most are not just 'men only'. Thankfully, I think the old traditions and conventions are dying out. There are no more deathly silences when a woman walks in the boardroom; I'd say that sexism in the higher echelons of the game is now very isolated, if it actually occurs at all. I think actually that it's the same at all levels of the game. Whether it's on the Kop or in the boardroom I think that women are now treated in exactly the same way as men are treated."

Many thanks, Babs!

In the second half of this interview Babs talks about the current Reds squad