Club News

Cityzens of Manchester: Yasmin Farrah Stopford

To celebrate International Women's Day we're launching a new feature - Cityzens of Manchester - putting a spotlight on the great variety of female fans following the Club.

To celebrate International Women’s Day we’re launching a new feature - Cityzens of Manchester - putting a spotlight on the great variety of female fans following the Club. First up is Yasmin Farrah Stopford, in pictures and her own words...

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City has always been a part of my life… I’m from Droylsden, East Manchester and I was born into a family of City fans. My grandad was a really big Blue in the 50s, although sadly I never met him. My Uncle Harold is also a massive City fan and although he moved down to Norwich with his family, he still travels up for some games and he’s always talking to me about football. I’ve always lived in Manchester, aside from a spell in Norwich at University – but I missed home too much and returned!

City has always been a part of my life… I’m from Droylsden, East Manchester and I was born into a family of City fans. My grandad was a really big Blue in the 50s, although sadly I never met him. My Uncle Harold is also a massive City fan and although he moved down to Norwich with his family, he still travels up for some games and he’s always talking to me about football. I’ve always lived in Manchester, aside from a spell in Norwich at University – but I missed home too much and returned!
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My name is Yasmin Farrah Stopford. I’m a 23-year-old graphic designer, television extra and matchday hostess at the Etihad Stadium – and of course, I’m a City fan. I started working at City when I was 16 (my family were very pleased!) and I have done ever since. It’s great to be part of the Club I support, especially on a matchday. I turn 24 this month so it’s a long time to have worked in one place but I’ve always wanted to stay.

My name is Yasmin Farrah Stopford. I’m a 23-year-old graphic designer, television extra and matchday hostess at the Etihad Stadium – and of course, I’m a City fan. I started working at City when I was 16 (my family were very pleased!) and I have done ever since. It’s great to be part of the Club I support, especially on a matchday. I turn 24 this month so it’s a long time to have worked in one place but I’ve always wanted to stay.
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I started off on the tills in the kiosks; then became a Team Leader and Section Manager with Fabulous Fan Fayre. I also worked in the office as part of a gap year and that was brilliant, as I was able to experience new things, such as HR and payroll. Last year, I took part in the third kit reveal at City. I was one of four Cityzens to be invited to model the deep green kit at the Academy Stadium along with – unbeknown to us – Kyle Walker, John Stones and Danilo! Needless to say, that was an amazing surprise and it was fantastic to have the players involved.

I started off on the tills in the kiosks; then became a Team Leader and Section Manager with Fabulous Fan Fayre. I also worked in the office as part of a gap year and that was brilliant, as I was able to experience new things, such as HR and payroll. Last year, I took part in the third kit reveal at City. I was one of four Cityzens to be invited to model the deep green kit at the Academy Stadium along with – unbeknown to us – Kyle Walker, John Stones and Danilo! Needless to say, that was an amazing surprise and it was fantastic to have the players involved.
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I’ve also done some graphic design work with the Club – it’s a real hobby of mine, which I enjoyed throughout school and college and continued into university. I took it up to earn a bit of extra money while I was studying too – I had about four jobs before I graduated from Salford University with a First Class Degree back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been freelancing to build up my portfolio and I’ve worked with bigger and bigger clients. I’m a very creative person – I probably inherited my creative flair from my grandma. She used to make cakes for weddings and she painted. I was always interested in design – whether that was looking at menus or picking out posters I liked. I put a lot of my work on Instagram (@yasminfarrah), linking to my website (yasminfarrahdesign.com) and portfolio.

I’ve also done some graphic design work with the Club – it’s a real hobby of mine, which I enjoyed throughout school and college and continued into university. I took it up to earn a bit of extra money while I was studying too – I had about four jobs before I graduated from Salford University with a First Class Degree back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been freelancing to build up my portfolio and I’ve worked with bigger and bigger clients. I’m a very creative person – I probably inherited my creative flair from my grandma. She used to make cakes for weddings and she painted. I was always interested in design – whether that was looking at menus or picking out posters I liked. I put a lot of my work on Instagram (@yasminfarrah), linking to my website (yasminfarrahdesign.com) and portfolio.
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I’m also very ambitious and quite adventurous. I’ve got a bucket list of things I’d like to do, such as jumping out of a plane or skydiving over The Palm in Dubai. I have a supercar experience booked and I went on a helicopter last year for my birthday. That was fun! I’m not really afraid of anything, other than spiders!

I’m also very ambitious and quite adventurous. I’ve got a bucket list of things I’d like to do, such as jumping out of a plane or skydiving over The Palm in Dubai. I have a supercar experience booked and I went on a helicopter last year for my birthday. That was fun! I’m not really afraid of anything, other than spiders!
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I also work in television as an extra. I’ve appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. A few of those are filmed in Manchester and it’s great that they get local people involved. It’s fun to be part of and I’m able to view the creative side as well, behind-the-scenes. I’m really interested in that. I’m definitely happy with my life. Some days, I’ll be walking down the cobbles on Corrie as if it’s a normal thing! Other days, I’m working from home, designing. Other days, I’m here at the Etihad Stadium, looking after the Chairman and guests. I’ve always had to be very strict with my time and plan, otherwise having such a varied lifestyle wouldn’t work.

I also work in television as an extra. I’ve appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. A few of those are filmed in Manchester and it’s great that they get local people involved. It’s fun to be part of and I’m able to view the creative side as well, behind-the-scenes. I’m really interested in that. I’m definitely happy with my life. Some days, I’ll be walking down the cobbles on Corrie as if it’s a normal thing! Other days, I’m working from home, designing. Other days, I’m here at the Etihad Stadium, looking after the Chairman and guests. I’ve always had to be very strict with my time and plan, otherwise having such a varied lifestyle wouldn’t work.
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In the future, I would like a full-time job in football, although I’m not sure which department. Of course, it would be amazing to work for City. It’s such a great Club with so much publicity and so many opportunities and I think it’s fantastic what we are doing – both on and off the pitch. I think the Club are really good at catering for each generation and as I’ve always lived in East Manchester, I’ve witnessed first-hand the amazing things that have been done in terms of developing the area and bringing more prospects.

In the future, I would like a full-time job in football, although I’m not sure which department. Of course, it would be amazing to work for City. It’s such a great Club with so much publicity and so many opportunities and I think it’s fantastic what we are doing – both on and off the pitch. I think the Club are really good at catering for each generation and as I’ve always lived in East Manchester, I’ve witnessed first-hand the amazing things that have been done in terms of developing the area and bringing more prospects.
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My childhood was great, thanks to my mum – my inspiration in life. She brought me up as a single mother and she has sacrificed so much for me. She has made me the person I am today and given me the drive to succeed and make her as proud of me as I am of her. I think it’s really important for women to empower each other and my mum is a perfect example of this. From my experience, I know a lot of women who work in sport who have had amazing experiences. It’s nice to see more female directors starting to appear and it’s good for young women to have role models to aspire to. It’s something I’m passionate about. Graphic design in particular is a highly male-dominated environment and there were not many females in my class at University. I want to show what I can do and be treated equally. I’m very career-oriented and I want to be successful.

My childhood was great, thanks to my mum – my inspiration in life. She brought me up as a single mother and she has sacrificed so much for me. She has made me the person I am today and given me the drive to succeed and make her as proud of me as I am of her. I think it’s really important for women to empower each other and my mum is a perfect example of this. From my experience, I know a lot of women who work in sport who have had amazing experiences. It’s nice to see more female directors starting to appear and it’s good for young women to have role models to aspire to. It’s something I’m passionate about. Graphic design in particular is a highly male-dominated environment and there were not many females in my class at University. I want to show what I can do and be treated equally. I’m very career-oriented and I want to be successful.
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I’d say the only negative experiences I’ve endured were when I first left University. A lot of people expected me to get one full-time job because in their mind, I wasn’t working full-time hours. My way of doing things wasn’t considered ‘the norm’ and people were very sceptical about my hours and how much money I would earn. We were all put under pressure to apply for agencies and do voluntary work but that definitely wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to be independent and build up my own base and portfolio, ensuring I had enough content to attract the clients I needed. In the future, I’d also like to travel – the Middle East in particular really attracts me as I’m very interested in different cultures – and buy my own property. I’m very happy with the way things are in my life at the moment though and with City doing so well, things are fantastic!

I’d say the only negative experiences I’ve endured were when I first left University. A lot of people expected me to get one full-time job because in their mind, I wasn’t working full-time hours. My way of doing things wasn’t considered ‘the norm’ and people were very sceptical about my hours and how much money I would earn. We were all put under pressure to apply for agencies and do voluntary work but that definitely wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to be independent and build up my own base and portfolio, ensuring I had enough content to attract the clients I needed. In the future, I’d also like to travel – the Middle East in particular really attracts me as I’m very interested in different cultures – and buy my own property. I’m very happy with the way things are in my life at the moment though and with City doing so well, things are fantastic!