Encouraging more girls to play football

The hope is that the summer’s women’s Euros will encourage more girls to play football in school

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on the Hope Education Blog

There is a stigma around girls playing football and, sometimes, fewer opportunities to participate in the sport. It is important, therefore, for schools to create equal access to football for girls. Schools can offer football as part of its sports programme for all pupils and via after-school clubs.

Educate

Teachers should educate their classes about women’s football; this will shed light on equality within football and help pupils to understand that it can be for everyone. Talking about women’s football with children will also help inspire the girls as they discover it’s a sport for them, while also improving knowledge of equality in sport.

Present possible role models for girls to look up to and let women talk about their experiences. This will help break down the barriers to playing football and show everyone that football is for everyone.

Create a space for girls (or mixed facilities)

A lack of facilities can hold anyone back from accessing the sport. Typically, boys have facilities and equipment offered in schools including the appropriate clothing and shoes to play on the field, a space to play football such as a nearby field or AstroTurf, and a place to get changed.  

An all-girls football club 

There are several reasons why girls might feel uncomfortable playing alongside boys, but the main one is due to skill levels. Girls start playing football later than boys due to limited opportunities and, therefore, require more time to build their confidence in the sport. To overcome this, offer a chance for girls’ football, maybe by creating an all-girls football club or splitting football games by gender. To encourage girls to play football even more, schools could consider having a woman teacher/coach for football. This will also help give girls someone to look up to. 

Offer incentives

A great way to implement girls’ football in schools is to offer incentives to students. This could, for example, be through verbal or written feedback. This encouragement allows pupils to keep track of their progress within the sport and could help them stay in the sport. They will, hopefully, strive to make more progress and have a goal that they want to accomplish.

Medals for hard work are also an enjoyable and memorable incentive for all pupils.