Two Welsh elite sportswomen have launched a new business to support and upskill sports captains across the UK and beyond. They’ve been backed by a £20,000 micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales.
Captains Clubhouse is a world-first global platform, dedicated to growing and supporting sports teams’ captains, vice-captains and aspiring captains at every level, from amateur clubs to international professionals.
Founders Ria Burrage-Male and Vicki Sutton have years of experience in the sports sector, including serving as team captains themselves, along with backgrounds in leadership, mentoring and consulting.
Ria is founder of KIBO Group and owner of Aberdare Feet podiatry. She is also a trustee of Cymru Women’s Sport and former CEO of Hockey Wales, while Vicki is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union’s (WRU) Woman’s Rugby Committee, and a former CEO of Wales Netball and Cardiff Dragons Netball.
Through the Captains Clubhouse platform, the duo will connect members to a global community of sporting peers, and offers captaincy tools, training and support networks to boost their performance on and off the field, court or pitch. It also offers guidance on team dynamics, decision-making, emotional intelligence and more, as well as exclusive recorded interviews with veteran captains.
The £20,000 micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales will allow Vicki and Ria to invest in content creation and marketing for Captains Clubhouse.
Vicki Sutton said: “This is the only platform of its kind that we know of. We couldn’t find anything that was similarly global or pan-sport, going from grass roots sporting right up to the elite.”
The duo realised the potential of the Captains Clubhouse platform after trialling it with 25 sporting professionals as part of a pilot.
Vicki said: “We had a lot of people on the pilot, and they said they couldn’t believe no-one had thought of something like it before. We realised it would be an exciting opportunity – but we also recognised people wouldn’t know they needed it until we started it.”
She added: “Both Ria and I have spent money and time ourselves to get the business to a good starting position, but we knew we needed more support to take it further. The Development Bank was the perfect solution to what we needed. We’re both quite determined and like getting stuff done quickly, it suited ours needs brilliantly.
Chris Stork, Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, said: “Ria and Vicki are doing fantastic work in an area which is largely untapped. The services they provide bring together sporting captains to provide them with catered support and training, improving themselves and the teams they lead.”
The Development Bank offers micro loans from £1,000 to £100,000, with fixed interest rates for the duration of a loan, flexible terms and fast-track applications available.
