Girls Football - Coaches of Tomorrow

When all the excitement from the Euros settled, the Lionesses made a big statement by writing to the Prime Minister to urge the government to pave the way for all girls to be able to follow in their footsteps. They requested that all girls have access to 2h of PE a week, where football was offered to all, and to increase the number of female PE staff to become the role models that girls need to flourish. As a mother of two daughters who have access to a 'token' amount of football at school, I was thrilled they were bringing this issue into the spotlight. I find it so shocking that still in 2023, girls are expected to play netball and hockey despite our women's football team being champions of Europe.

I have personal experience of this issue - and how it extends beyond schools into the community. Wanting my girls to play football in 2021 (i.e. not 10 years ago) my only option originally was for them to join a boys team. This didn't go well... their confidence was knocked due to the strength and physicality of the boys, as well as the more advanced skillset, due most likely to greater exposure to the game from an early age. One bad tackle and we were done; I went back to see if there were any other options.

We found one girls team in the area (in a town with a population of 120k+) but due to there being only two coaches, the age group ran from 5-9! So what did we do? My husband James Batters , a friend Tiernan Ashley and I became coaches so the girls could play! The only slight problem with this... none of us had a clue how to play or coach football.

We set about doing our FA Playmakers and watching Youtube videos and pulled something together. We're now doing our Level 1s, funded by the club, but we are still very much parent coaches and make it up as we go along - the kids don't seem to mind though as long as they are running around and kicking balls with their friends.

So why am I telling this story now?

Because it sums up grassroots football for young girls in the UK today - girls that want to play and can't at school who go and seek out a team, only to get coaches like us! And though not wanting to do my fellow coaches a disservice, it's not good enough.

This is a big reason behind why at Southampton Football Club we launched the Coaches of Tomorrow program with Starling Bank . When we first met with Starling Bank it was clear that at the centre of our partnership had to be a commitment to growing the game and getting more girls playing football. For me, growing the number of quality girls focused football coaches in Hampshire was a no brainer; aligning with the Lionnesses plea and building on what we're known for at Saints - developing talent.

As part of the initiative, we have a target to recruit twenty female coaches from the age of 16 and above who have no formal coaching qualifications. Those who sign up will begin their training at the end of February 2023 and will complete the ‘FA Introduction to Coaching Award’ online as part of the course. If successfully completed, this will give them their first official coaching qualification. Southampton Football Club Academy staff will support and mentor the coaches over a period of four months with three webinars and three face-to-face training events. Each successful participant in the coaching programme will be given a toolkit to continue their coaching pathway, which will include a Starling Bank branded bag of balls, cones and bibs, six planning sessions, and membership to ‘Grow your Game’. The?Grow your Game scheme?is available to all current team coaches whose club is affiliated to Hampshire FA and offers ongoing support and education for coaches.

I am so excited to see how this program goes. If successful, hopefully we can continue and also inspire others to invest in growing the number of girls coaches in England. The Lionnesses have set the bar high for the future of English women's football; many of us can play a role in continuing the success - and most importantly of all, let them play!

If you're interested in joining the program, or know someone that is, apply here: https://www.southamptonfc.com/uk-and-international-football-programmes/coaches-of-tomorrow/coaches-of-tomorrow