Love The Game: International Day of The Girl Event

International Day of the Girl exists to recognise the potential of girls worldwide and to highlight the challenges they face. 

On Thursday 10th October 2024, Girls United FA (GU), a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering girls through football, hosted their annual Primary School football event for girls in partnership with Dulwich College. 

9 Primary Schools (creating 10 teams) from the South London community came together to celebrate the day by playing exciting on pitch fixtures, discussing what makes them confident and celebrating their own confidence. Over 90 girls took part in the day, and a total of 55 games took place on the excellent playing facility at Dulwich College.

Turnham Academy took the team title with an impressive 26 points but were taken to the last game where they faced an impressive Granton team (who finished 2nd with 21 points). This event provided the opportunity for girls who may not play in regular competitions to experience a positive space and test their skills against other Girls United partners. 

Each team nominated a confident individual to win a bespoke Girls United prize which could capture their ability to try new things and push themselves beyond their comfort zones. 

Abigail Ingram, GU London manager, reflected: “It was an incredible day where the local community celebrated our inspiring young girls and gave them the opportunity to strive and succeed on and off the pitch.

Our Primary school programme is really influential in our ability to support more girls to become active, to have access to football and to truly fall in love with football. Event days like this really demonstrate the coaches and school staff’s weekly commitment to encourage and support girls to fall in love with sport and be confident to be active. We are so grateful for Dulwich College’s continued support with our events and providing incredible access to facilities to inspire our local community.”

Mr. Whitehead, Dulwich College Head of Sports Partnerships & Head of Football: “It was wonderful to be able to host the Girls United - Love The Game: International Day of the Girl Event. Welcoming girls from local primary schools and assisting Girls United to provide more opportunities for them to be more active and have access to sport and football in particular, is always a pleasure. It is fantastic to be able to play a small part in the amazing event and it was lovely seeing so much enjoyment from the players throughout the day.”

Christopher Barber, Turnham Academy Teacher: “Turnham Academy were lucky enough to be invited to the Love The Game: International Day of The Girl Event organised by Girls United and hosted by Dulwich College. It was an excellent day and a fitting way to celebrate International Day of The Girl. I was so proud of the Turnham team as they were able to put into practise so many of the skills and values that are taught during our Girls United sessions. Some of the players have been a part of the programme since Year 3 and it is amazing to see how their confidence has grown and how they have developed their skills during this time. This comes from having the safe space that Girls United provides them with.”

Partners - Girls United would like to thank everyone involved in supporting and delivering the annual Love The Game x International Day of the Girl Event:

• Dulwich College

• Nike

• Morrisons - Peckham

Make Football Accessible: Campaign Launch

£3,000 has been raised by players from the Make Football Accessible Match, which will go directly to remove financial barriers for girls from South London to participate in football. 

On Saturday 24th August 2024, Girls United FA (GU), a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering girls through football, hosted their first fundraising match to launch their Make Football Accessible in partnership with Alleyn’s School. 

27 individuals from the South London community came together to fundraise to support the GU community pricing offer, which focuses on removing financial barriers by providing access to football from £1 per season. The day saw the community come together to celebrate accessible football on and off the pitch through a competitive match and insightful and inspiring networking panel.
The Griffins vs The Lanes, managed by special guests Lois Roche and Hannah Godfrey vs GU staff, Lee Webb and Sabina Hollywood saw a closely contested game resulting in a 5-4 win to the Griffins. The rain didn’t stop the GU community coming to cheer on players with mascots walking out from local programmes. 

The players of the match were awarded to individuals who were highlighted for showing “inspiring” qualities and rewarded with our partners’ in-kind donations to provide a match day experience deserved thanks to the fundraising efforts of individuals. 

Abigail Ingram, GU London manager, reflected: “It was an incredible day where the local community united to kickstart the Make Football Accessible Campaign. The day empowered our partners to commit to accessibility of the sport in the upcoming season, ahead of the 2025 Women’s Euros. We are so grateful for Alleyn’s continued dedication in helping us bring our mission to life and grow opportunities for young females in South London.”
“Having key stakeholders and emerging voices inspire our audience was powerful! We are grateful to Lois and Hannah for sharing their experiences as professionals and making that accessible for the next generation. But the highlight for me was seeing players cheer on their coaches, parents, guardians, and our community coming together to ensure free and discounted sessions for players next season!”

Lois Roche and Hannha Godfrey, winning team managers and panel speakers; “Thank you to GU for putting on an incredible event. It’s amazing to be around like minded people with the same passion and dedication to support the next generation and help grow the women’s game just like we do at Pro2Pro. It’s so important that everyone has the equal opportunity to fulfil their potential, or to just simply enjoy the game that we all love. We look forward to working together in the future to break down barriers and make football accessible to all.”

Ali Speechly, Make Football Accessible Panel Host: “It was a privilege to host such an amazing panel on Saturday and discuss the importance of making football accessible for everyone. There are so many benefits to playing sport - not just physical, but psychological and social as well - and all girls should have access to these benefits. We also want to see our football teams at every level reflect the diverse communities in our city, and making football accessible to everyone at a grassroots level is an essential part of this. GU is a brilliant organisation doing vital work in the community and, as a South Londoner myself, it is a genuine pleasure to support them.”

Partners

Girls United would like to thank everyone involved in supporting and delivering the first Girls United Make Football Accessible Campaign Event:

• Alleyn’s School

• Pro 2 Pro Academy - Lois Roche and Hannah Godfrey

• Kit Locker

• Morrisons - Peckham

• Redemption Roasters - Dulwich Village

• Jade Beason

• Dulwich Hamlet Supporters

• Extra Mile Athletes - James Morse

Check out images here.

Notes:

For more information, please contact Girls United, London Manager, abigail@girlsunitedfa.org

Girls United FA: Girls United removes barriers to football, building pathways that empower girls and women to fulfil their potential, on and off the pitch.

Make Football Accessible Donation Page:

https://www.kindlink.com/fundraising/Girls-United-Football-Association/makefootballaccessible

Alleyn’s School:

Alleyn’s School is a leading HMC co-educational school for children aged 4-18, nestled in the creative heart of south London with a cherished history dating back to their founding by Edward Alleyn in 1619. 

Alleyn’s sport inspires and challenges every pupil to embrace their passions and achieve beyond what they thought possible, to be all they can be.

Alleyn’s and Girls United partnership: The partnership has led to the creation of a local hub for female football and has certainly helped to fuel the growth and popularity of the sport among girls locally. There have been several events within the community, including a club signing-on night for girls looking to join Girls United, held at Alleyn’s sports pavilion. Girls United and Alleyn’s pupils also recently visited St George’s Park to see the Lionesses in training, which proved to be a memorable and inspiring experience for all involved.