Level the Playing Field: Empowering Girls in Football
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From the formation of the Women’s Football Association in1969 to England’s Lionesses lifting the 2022 European cup in front of a sold-out Wembley stadium, women’s football has seen countless triumphs. Yet, despite these victories, the number of young girls entering youth football remains significantly lower than that of boys.
As football club owners and leaders, you play a crucial role in shaping the game’s future. Yet, the reality is that girls will face significant barriers in football, from lack of media representation to unclear progression as well as a lack of opportunity to play.
To bridge this gap, we must break stereotypes and create more opportunities for young girls to fall in love with the beautiful game.
This International Women’s Day, with the theme ‘Accelerate Action for Gender Equality’ it’s time to take decisive steps to level the playing field. By fostering inclusion, representation, and empowerment, clubs can build an environment where girls don’t just participate but thrive.
So, how can you lead the charge and make your club more inclusive for all?
Representation Matters: Increase Visibility of Women’s Football
The latest Sport England Active Lives Children and Young People survey highlights a persistent gender gap in team sport and activity levels. While 69% of boys aged 5-16 participate in team sports, only 47% of girls of the same age group do.
Overall activity levels follow a similar trend, 44% of girls of the same age group are active compared to 51% of boys. Team sports play a crucial role in developing life skills, confidence, and resilience. Missing out on these opportunities can have lasting negative effects on girls.
This persistent 7% gender gap stems from the cumulative impact of early years stereotyping, the challenges of puberty, and the pressures of social media, as report Reframing Sport for Teenage Girls: Tackling Teenage Disengagement highlights.
75% of girls aged 13-18 years have experienced ‘disparaging statements’ about girls in sport. (womeninsport.org)
But it’s not all doom and gloom.
Progress is happening. In the past four years:
✅Women and girls’ participation in football has surged by 56% (FA, Inspiring Positive Change campaign).
✅ Barclays Women’s Super League attendance has increased by 239% since 2021, making it the most-followed women’s league globally.
✅ Scottish grassroots football saw record-breaking participation for the second consecutive year, with 22,977registered female players in 2023.
The Lionesses’ success also played a role. After their Euro2022 triumph, participation in girls’ football rose by 1.5%. Dream Deficit research found that 90% of those who watched the 2023 Women’s World Cup felt “happy and proud”. However, the girls most inspired to play were those already engaged in sport—just over a third of all girls.
These statistics underscore the importance of fostering a love of sport from an early age and ensuring girls feel welcome and supported in football.
So, how can you set the stage for more girls to get involved and stay engaged with your club?
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Keep Girls in the Game
Research shows that girls are 3x more likely to quit football than boys. To combat this:
✅ Offer girl-specific retention programmes that blend fun, social activities, and training.
✅ Provide female coaches and role models to inspire long-term participation.
✅ Offer flexible training schedules to accommodate school and other commitments.
Accelerating Action for a Fairer Future
Football clubs have the power to drive meaningful change, ensuring that girls have the same opportunities to thrive as boys. By taking concrete steps in representation, inclusion, confidence building, and tackling discrimination head on, clubs can be part of a movement that accelerates action for gender equality.
As Stephanie Hilborne, CEO or Women in Sport, says "If we are to give girls an equal chance to thrive, we must surround them with the expectation that they will succeed."
Now is the time for clubs to step up, break barriers, and help shape a future where every girl knows she belongs in football.
Because every time a young girl steps onto a football pitch, the sport takes one step closer to true inclusion.
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Caitlin Martin
Cait is our in-house social media manager and digital content writer. When she isn’t brainstorming puns or chasing participants for TikToks, she can be found outside running, playing her fiddle in Scottish pubs, travelling on the Avanti West Coast train line to visit her family (read, dog), or nestled up on the sofa with a good book or movie.
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