We delivered sessions in Manchester, Sheffield and London during the EUROs competition in July 2022. The Breaking Barriers events were launched in response to research that found girls were more likely to drop out of sport in their teen years than boys. To help combat this, we delivered a series of free events where girls could speak to players from the WSL about these topics in the hopes of inspiring them to stay in the game for longer. Players such as Katie McCabe, Gabby George, Megan Finnigan and Sophie Baggaley supported the initiative.
Our Collaborations & Initiatives
We believe in the power of collaborating to facilitate change. We are proud of the initiatives we have delivered and the partners we have worked alongside to make them happen for her.
Breaking Barriers
Women’s Football Education X Goal 17 Level Up Programme
We collaborated with WFE and Goal 17 to launch a mentorship programme which paired up and coming female athletes with professionals in the game. We recognized that many footballers work with a range of specialists during their professional playing careers, and the importance of ensuring similar levels of support and advice are available to all players through each stage of their careers is vital. The mentoring programme saw leading football stars from the men’s and women’s game, mentor ambitious junior female players over a 6 month period. The programme engaged with 15 female and 5 male mentors, including Demi Stokes, Martha Thomas, Jen Beattie and Jack Butland.
Pulse Social Sports
We teamed up with Pulse Social Sports Group to deliver a 5-part podcast series dedicated to sharing inspiring and ground-breaking stories of women who are working hard at building careers in football. We collaborated with 5 women of varying ages and backgrounds, who share both their personal and professional journeys, as we as what it takes to build a career outside of playing the game of football.
Middlesex FA Partnership
We partnered with Middlesex FA to deliver an exciting ambassador programme aimed at supporting the UEFA Women’s EURO Legacy programme in London. The programme recruited and deployed 10 young women aged 16+ who wanted to play their part in inspiring more women and girls across clubs, schools and community groups in Middlesex to play football. Ambassadors had the opportunity to attend a mixture of both face-to-face visits at schools, clubs and community organisations, as well as online sessions to share their stories and personal journeys in football.