The ex-Liverpool footballer who turned it all around by swapping the boot room for the boardroom
“So if it was me, of course, I would say they should be paid equally, but from a commercial point of view, obviously, they’re not bringing in as much money as the men do.
“So it’s a difficult argument, you can’t really compare.
“It’s not like tennis or other sports where maybe the viewing and the backing has been more equal over the years, because that’s just the way it’s been.
“But in football, I still feel the women’s game has got a long way to go.”
In terms of whether she foresees a world where women and men will both be paid the same even at club level, she said: “I don’t know. I’d like to say yes because I like to be an optimistic person. But I think it’s going to be hard for it to ever compare to the Premier League for sure.”
The firm’s main source of income is product sales, with the brand known for its different shaped tops, shorts and leggings.
Recent successes include having sponsored Bristol City – and Grace said she hopes to emulate the successes of Ben Francis’ fast-growing Gymshark brand, which he founded out of his bedroom at his parents’ house aged just 19.
Speaking about her entrepreneurial ambitions, she said: “I want to build a successful business, but it’s not so much about the financials – it’s more about the impact.
“We want to design amazing products that are specific to the girls’ football community. In terms of the shapes and sizes, there are lots of different women of different body shapes who play football, and we want to be able to cater to that all over the world.”
For Miss Kick, the pandemic brought about a “pivotal” rethink and rebrand – with Grace and her team using the lockdowns to reflect on the brand and where they wanted to take it.
Now, she wants to first conquer the UK market, but also has her sights set on the US and the huge reputation women’s football has there.
The firm also prides itself on its growing community, with hundreds of girls signed up on WhatsApp chats all over the world.
Grace said: “As much as product is vital, community is also really important to me as well.
“We are just trying to make a difference to try and tackle those problems in women’s football – not just in England, but across the world.
“I would like Miss Kick to be that brand that people look to one day and think ‘they were the flagship, the leaders in trying to change things’.”
The business is releasing a new collection over the coming months, as well as launching a new community app. In the coming years, she hopes to be making kits for top football clubs, hosting tournaments, and potentially branching out into other sports.
She said: “I’m really passionate about inspiring other young people to see this as an opportunity for them as well, because I was never taught in school that you can set up a business, you can do X, Y, and Z.
“I think it’s important we try and do more to inspire people to see this as a career.
“I don’t know what I would have been doing had it not been Miss Kick, but we are making a difference.”
On the future, she added: “It’s tough, it’s hard and there’s still going to be things that are going to go wrong, and things that are going to challenge us, but I feel like with Miss Kick, I’ve been very fortunate with the timing of the growth of the women’s game, and the Women’s Euros taking place in England next year. We’ve caught it at the right time.
“I think there’s never been a better opportunity for us as a brand, and now it’s just up to me and the team to execute it.”
The Miss Kick journey has also included receiving funding from NatWest’s Female Entrepreneurship Fund through the bank’s Accelerator programme.
NatWest helped the brand with free support and office space.
Grace added: “They helped me put my pitch deck together and prepared me to go to meetings and I got help with my cash flow forecast. All this prepared me for fundraising for Miss Kick.
“I think it was just my passion and my enthusiasm that people bought into and they really believed in what we were doing with Miss Kick. It took about 12 months to get everything signed off, but now I have an incredible team of investors and we’ve managed to raise £150,000.
“NatWest really helped me in breaking down that initial wall and the accelerator taught me a lot of the fundamentals. It’s definitely forced me to grow as a person.”