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The Women in Football and Xero Small Business Programme 2026: Meet Gurpri and Cat
4 June 2026
The half time whistle has blown! Season 3 of the Women in Football and Xero Small Business Programme has reached its midway point. We are kicking off the second half by matching our entrepreneurs with personal mentors from the Women in Football community. To celebrate this milestone, let’s meet our final two featured entrepreneurs and celebrate the incredible impact their businesses are making.
The programme offers a package of mentoring, networking and expert advice which has already proved transformational for many female-led enterprises, and these aspiring businesswomen are next up to receive a boost.
Gurpri Bains
Company name: I'm currently in the process of setting my consultancy business up.
Employees: Just me.
What does the company do? Offers an independent consultancy to companies for all their EDI needs.
Describe yourself: I'm a forward thinking, adaptable and versatile professional – my background started in event planning and programme delivery, currently I am working across the equality, diversity and inclusion realm within the arts and sports sectors.
Experienced in organising and project managing small and large scale events, campaigns and programmes in a commercial, fundraising and participation environment with demonstrated strength in ensuring brand messages, objectives and key communications are understood and driven effectively at all levels. Describing myself as a professional disrupter and enabler, I actively promote the confidence to simply ‘do the right thing’ – my working style seeks to find progressive common ground.
As an ENFJ personality type (protagonist) I’m a person with an Extraverted, Intuitive, Receptive and Altruistic personality trait with a desire to bring people together. I’m an advocate of authentic and genuine representation with co-creation at the heart of ED&I practice, I recognise the impact of positive role-modelling with a passion for social action and the power of people, place, heritage and sport.
Background connection to football: I have worked at Birmingham City FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Burnley FC, as well as at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. I am also a member on the Equality Advisory Board for FA Wales and part of the Women in Football EEDI Advisory Group.
Why did you want to join the programme and what are you hoping to gain? I am looking forward to the encouragement and entrepreneurial spirit of the journey and learning. This programme has come at a great time as I’m in between ideation and launch, and I’m hopeful of developing my critical business planning skills so I can improve my business plan and ensure I lay the foundations for my consultancy business in a way that is meaningful and sustainable.
As the first in my immediate family to venture into self-employment, this programme is not only going to be beneficial to me professionally but personally. Through improving my confidence and awareness, having a support network around me and a framework to leverage as I formally set up and launch my consultancy which is focused on equality, diversity and inclusion, and improving the experiences of other organisations and people across the football eco system.
Connect with Gurpri on LinkedIn here.
Cat Goryn
Company name: Cat Goryn Photography
Company established: 2018
Employees: Just me.
What does the company do? I provide photography to agencies and a wide variety of clients, covering events, branding, showcasing people and celebrating successes.
Describe yourself: It’s always hard to write about yourself in an authentic way while saying how amazing you are! I am hardworking, creative and care about delivering for anyone who hires me. I've had some significant personal challenges since starting my business – my resilience and determination to succeed has served me well.
Background connection to football: I played football with the boys as a kid until I was told I couldn’t anymore. I ran a local men’s football team for 3 and a half years and after a lot of being told this isn’t a space for you I found a way to have a career in sports.
Why did you want to join the programme and what are you hoping to gain? When you start a business there’s no way to know everything… you start it because of a love or because you see a space for something. There’s always going to be gaps in your knowledge and I am hoping to fill some of those.
What have you benefitted most from being a WIF member? I have been a quiet member of WIF, so I'm looking forward to making some connections over the next few months.
Empower, mentor, succeed
For a third consecutive year, Women in Football and Xero are offering a comprehensive package of support, in a 'game of two halves' format, through the Small Business Programme. The programme provides a culture of belonging and empowerment which offers those taking part the opportunity to connect with other women facing the same daily obstacles.
The first half of the Women in Football and Xero Small Business Programme develops participants' enterprise skills, knowledge and professional networks. While the second half provides one-to-one mentoring by matching up the entrepreneurs with Women in Football members who have already built successful businesses of their own.
Check out some of the highlights and learnings from our previous programmes below.
About Xero
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software platform that connects small business owners with their accountant or bookkeeper, banks and an ecosystem of apps and financial services to help them run their business. Through a range of partnerships, Xero is also aiming to empower and champion women in business and football.
You could get started with Xero today! Try Xero with 90% off for six months when you sign up through the Women in Football affiliate link.
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