The heroics of our English Lionesses in Canada during the Women’s World Cup inspired me and millions of others to get excited about the beautiful game. The team’s courageous performances and their success in taking home the bronze medal were amazing to watch.
But, as a physical education (PE) teacher, the best part was seeing my female students get excited too. I had girls outside my door asking when the next school match was and if they could borrow a ball at break time. There were also numerous discussions, from Laura Bassett’s own goal to how the women’s game is different to the one played by men.
Now is the time to capitalise on this excitement and the changing perception of female footballers in society; the game has never been more accessible or appealing to our young female players. A year 9 girl recently told me: “I feel if they can do it, then maybe I can too.”
To make the most of the opportunity provided by the Women’s World Cup, here are my tips for getting girls involved in the game:
Create a team
Speak to girls directly, maybe in PE lessons or after assembly, to see if there is interest in starting a team. If there is, the only real expense is getting kits. In terms of a place to play, you can use your own pitches and PE facilities. When you need to travel, ask if you can use the school minibus. If you’re strapped for cash, ask staff to bring in their old shin pads and goalkeeper’s gloves.
Practise, practise, practise
Once you’ve got a team together, organise training during lunchtimes or after school and arrange to play a game within the first couple of weeks (it’s best to pick another team of beginners to play against). Your school will usually be part of a district schools’ Football Association (FA), especially if you already have a boys’ team. Your district FA is part of your county schools’ FA, which in turn links into the English Schools’ FA – all of these provide competitions to enter. For example, our district runs a league that is free for schools to join and our county has a cup that is £5 for each team to enter.
Get a kit that fits
Make sure you have shin pads and goalkeepers’ gloves for matches. When you order your strip, get it in a range of sizes – I’ve found girls often like the shorts to be baggy and tops to be loose so that they can wear something warm underneath (many even wear their tights under their shorts). Find out about funding opportunities from your county FA or the Premier League players’ kit scheme.
Explore different versions of the game
Offer as many varieties of football as possible, such as mixed boys’ and girls’ matches, intra- and inter-school competitions, futsal, 7-a-side, 11-a-side and opportunities to act as a captain, coach and referee. This allows students to discover what they enjoy the most, and presents new challenges for them to solve.
Play home and away
Take part in local tournaments and leagues to vary where you play. Take students to the Women’s Super League games, allow them to use their mobiles to take crazy pictures and sing (slightly) rude songs on the bus. This all adds to the enjoyment, building friendships and feelings of cohesion and belonging.
Use positive role models
Local Women’s Super League teams will often send players to visit schools – Rachel Laws, goalkeeper for Sunderland Ladies, came to join one of our training sessions. You might be able to visit their training grounds; this can raise aspirations by showing students that a career in the game is an option. It can also dispel common myths and stereotypes about female athletes and get girls to realise that these players are judged purely on their ability on the pitch. Use older students as role models too, by making them sports ambassadors for your school. This empowers them and also gives younger students something to aspire to.
Inspire self-esteem
We all know how important confidence is for young players so it’s important that all members of staff, such as the headteacher, regularly praise the team’s commitment and effort. It’s also a good idea to host awards evening, rewarding improvement, progress, pride and respect above results. Praise is often more valuable than medals; if it is genuine and specific to a student’s strengths, it reinforces these behaviours and helps to raise self-esteem.
Engage reluctant players
To encourage girls who might not normally play sports, sell the benefits of being healthy and fit. Another good way to get students involved is by encouraging friendship groups to try the game together. If you have one student who is interested, others will often want to get involved to make sure their friend isn’t alone – lots of girls get involved this way. Above all, vary the game to suit the needs of different players and build up confidence levels with positive feedback.
Upcoming opportunities to further inspire:
- Follow the England Women’s under 19s in the European Championship, 15 July, Israel. They play Germany, Spain and Norway in their group stage @England.
- Keep up with the FA Women’s Super League (WSL). Liverpool Ladies v Notts County Ladies on 18 July and Birmingham City v Arsenal Ladies on 19 July @FAWSL.
- The Women’s Ashes series commences on 21 July @Englandcricket.
- The SSE Women’s FA Cup Final takes place at Wembley, 1 August. Notts County v Chelsea @FA.
- This year’s Netball World Cup, will be hosted in Sydney, 7-16 August @netballworldcup.
