Ninety minutes before the Lionesses took to the pitch for their World Cup opener, the under-11s Hadleigh United girls’ team kicked off their own tournament – a mini World Cup five-a-side organised by coach Matt French. More than two dozen girls, representing global national teams, showed off their skills to cheering families and friends.
After the final whistle, it was time to head to the clubhouse to watch the England women’s team play.
“We had food, cakes, glitter, facepaint – and the match playing on the big screen,” French said. “It’s all gone really well. The girls are buzzing and excited.” The cheers that followed Georgia Stanway’s successful penalty were surely loud enough to be heard across the Suffolk town, as together they celebrated England’s first goal of the tournament.
The excitement shows the real progress in girls’ participation in football since the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022. “We used to get four or five girls coming to a wildcat training session. Now it’s 30 to 40 girls every week,” said French.
Grace, 15, plays for her local team in the Midlands, represents her county, and dreams of joining the Lionesses on the pitch. A talented striker who has been playing since she was five, she is getting noticed for her skills and dedication.
“I started playing football to make friends, and because I loved running around,” Grace told the Observer. “As I got older, there was sexism and horrible stuff. Boys saying I should go back home and I wasn’t any good because I was a girl.”
By contrast, Grace found playing in a girls’ team offered “a real community”. She has seen attitudes change, and believes the Lionesses’ success is part of that. “Watching the women win at the Euros means more girls are playing football, more schools are letting girls play football, and the World Cup will mean this keeps improving,” Grace says. “We have come so far from saying girls can’t play football.”
The community that Grace found is familiar to Aimee, 27, who turned to football last year as a way to get fit, but quickly “found the sisterhood I didn’t know I needed”.
Having played as a teenager, Aimee quit the game, before lacing up her boots again after seeing the Lionesses win at the Euros. “Something just clicked. I felt so much admiration for those women on the pitch who had carried on playing, and decided to start playing again.”
The team watched the match together at the Regent Pub, south London, which has become a valuable partner in providing a safe and welcoming space for women and non-binary players, fans and allies.
The Girls United FA London group completed an epic #PeckhamtoBrisbane challenge – walking 10,262 miles to celebrate the start of this year’s World Cup. The girls walked the final mile before kick-off, ready for a match-watching party to celebrate, as their football heroines made their debut in Australia.
Forging a community of players and fans is the aim of Amy Drucquer, who set up the This Fan Girl community in 2016. The project hosts meet-ups so football fans can watch the game in pubs and venues with other women and allies.
In the run-up to thegame, This Fan Girl held a chanting workshop “to get those vocal chords going,” said Drucquer. The practice was rewarded by Stanway’s goal, when the cheers and chants hit the roof. As the match got under way, the craft materials came out – This Fan Girl had organised flag-making activities for adults and children alike.
“Because the World Cup games are so early in the morning, we had to approach it a bit differently than the usual pub meet-up,” Drucquer said. “The activities are fun for kids too – it’s inclusive”.
“The Women’s World Cup normalises women having a space in football,” she added. “That is going to be great for the women’s and men’s game”.
In Sheffield the Football for Foodbanks team watched in a team member’s house. The project was set up by Matty Cassell, with Al Rhind-Tutt looking after the women and gender minorities team, with players donating to local food banks.
For player Karina Lax, it’s important that the team came together for Saturday’s game. “It’s emotional,” she said. ‘When I watched the Euros final last year, I felt pride, excitement, but also grief for all the women that were prevented from playing. How different it could have been if more girls had been encouraged to play.”
“I love watching Lionesses games with my friends from football because it is a common interest, and something we are all passionate about,” said Lax’s teammate Sophie Ash, 20. “Watching the game together is special for me.”
Back at the Hadleigh United clubhouse, and in the mini-tournament every player was a winner. “It’s all about the girls enjoying the games, rather than a competition,” said French.
For the girls he coaches, watching the Lionesses is a chance for them to find positive role models, and grow up with the knowledge they can take part, play, and achieve their dreams.
“It’s so important for girls to grow up seeing the Lionesses on screen and knowing they can aspire to be there too,” he said.
