KAREN Dobres was never ambivalent about football – in fact, she hated it.

So how did she become actively involved in the beautiful game?

A former model, manager and counsellor, Karen is not a typical football club press officer.

But then Lewes is not a typical football club.

Owned by the community, it’s the first UK club to pay its male and female players equally.

At Brighton Chamber’s International Women’s Day Pop-up Breakfast, she will be talking about the history of the club and of women’s football, and her own football experiences.

She said: “It actually annoys me that we’re having to battle for equality in football or any other business.

“To not be discriminated against for your innate characteristics is a basic human right, and I’m – carefully – angry about fighting for it.

“I’m looking forward to explaining why, given the opportunity, there is no reason that women’s football can’t reach the same heights as men’s.”

You can join the chamber on Wednesday, March 6, for a Bagelman breakfast at PLATF9RM, and hear how both Karen and Lewes FC are working hard to even the playing field for women.

Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-international-womens-day-pop-up-breakfast-tickets-55563445762.

Karen has long been an advocate for women’s football.

She told The Argus: “We are making great strides at Lewes FC, being the first ever club to pay its female players the same wages as the men’s, but elsewhere women are still having to claw their way to equality.

“Just look at the female Olympic bobsleigh team getting their funding cut.”

“This is just another example of how uneven the playing field is for women in sport.

“This is why as well as appealing to male football supporters to come to the women’s matches, we’ve been targeting women in the local community to come along and show support for the girls.

“Our message has been ‘you may not like football, but you might like to support other women’.

“It’s been working because more and more women have been coming to our games.

“A quote on our Facebook page from Kelly Shephard summed it up: ‘I can’t claim to know the offside rule or even be able to name players for a fantasy football team, but hearing about Equality FC (paying females the same as males) has really sparked my interest in football.

“I even find myself checking the post match scores and watching the league tables.

“I may not be a pundit yet but even I can tell that the young women on the pitch are extremely talented athletes who deserve a fair game.”