Joanie Evans, Founder, HWFC, Panellist
Evans is a Birmingham-born LGBTQ+ sports advocate who moved to London in the late 1980s and became deeply involved in football and inclusive sport. She co-founded and played for Hackney Women’s Football Club, Europe’s first openly lesbian team, and has attended nine Gay Games, including two as Co-President. She served as Co-President of the Federation of Gay Games from 2013 to 2024 and was named an Honorary Life Member in 2025. Her contribution to LGBTQ+ sport has been recognised through a British LGBT Awards top-ten nomination, a Football Black List Administration Award, the Out for Sport Lifetime Achievement Award, and a 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award from Football v Homophobia. She is also a Sporting Heritage Ambassador and contributed to Simon James Green’s book A Year of Pride and Joy in 2025.
Grace Duggan, Player, HWFC, Panellist
Duggan is one of the founding players of Hackney WFC’s Development Team and now serves as the team’s Welfare Officer. Having inherited a love of football from an early age, she is passionate about the game’s ability to bring communities together. Outside of football Grace is a Theatre Director and Community Artist from East London. Her work is rooted in collaboration, bold storytelling, and amplifying voices. She has worked with theatres and communities across the UK, including working with the Donmar Warehouse, National Theatre and Almeida Theatre.
Chris Paouros, Chair
Paouros is a consultant and board advisor specialising in culture, leadership and belonging, working across sport, business and civil society. She is Vice-Chair of Kick It Out and the Football Supporters’ Association, Founding Chair of Tottenham Hotspur’s Fan Advisory Board, and Chair of Just Like Us, the LGBTQI+ young people’s charity. Across her career she has led major organisational change programmes, supported senior leadership teams, and helped shape inclusive cultures in complex systems. A long-standing advocate for equity in football, Chris previously chaired the Women’s Equality Party, managed Hackney WFC and has co-founded several fan initiatives, including Proud Lilywhites and Women of The Lane. Her work brings together strategic clarity, lived experience and a commitment to building environments where people can belong and thrive.