Hiring a Girls Football Partnership Manager to engage schools into partnership by attending leagues, competitions and events has had a positive impact on getting more girls playing football in Enfield.
Girls football has been a driver for securing a commitment for Sport Premium funding as well as direct funding for The Football Association (FA) girls football partnerships. This has focused some of our work on engaging schools into the partnership through a simple registration process and FA pledge.
Those schools with enthusiastic staff have made further commitment to developing girls’ participation through entering girls football leagues and competitions as well as taking up opportunities offered by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club on International Women’s Day.
The challenge
- Engaging some of the 'hard to reach' schools who are sometimes reluctant to try new ideas.
- School staff being released from timetables to bring students to tournaments.
- After school leagues pose a challenge due to transport.
The solution
A member of the Enfield PE team (a Local Authority service provider for high quality Physical Education and sport in schools) was dedicated as the Girls Football Partnership Manager for Enfield and is responsible for targeting schools to enter girl's leagues, competitions and events.
The impact
Up to now, 3460 primary school aged girls have taken part in one or more of our events (compared with 2610 boys).
- Football festivals: In Summer 2023, we trained 40 girls as young leaders at two secondary schools who delivered football festivals to 120 girls from local primary schools.
- #LetGirlsPlay: On 8 March 2024 we supported the #LetGirlsPlay biggest ever football session for girls which coincided with International Women’s Day. As part of this event, we collaborated with Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club to give 90 girls an opportunity to attend a session at their training ground.
- School league: 40 schools entered the league, involving 400 girls.
- Girls football tournaments: Involving 308 girls as well as an event specifically for girls with SEND which included 40 girls.
How is the new approach being sustained?
The Football Association Girls Football Partnership funding from Youth Sport Trust.
Lessons learned
Be flexible and inclusive, allow boys to participate if it means that schools can bring girls.
Contact
Duduzile Sher Arami, Director of Public Health.