Today we’ve awarded £3 million of National Lottery funding to support women and girls’ football in the country through The Lionesses HERe to Play Fund.
Our new funding will help the formation of more clubs or organisations that give women and girls a safe, welcoming and accessible space to play.
The FA’s women and girls’ football strategy - Inspiring Positive Change – shows this audience’s interest in the sport has doubled in the last four years, as the number of women and girls playing football has increased by 56%.
Our own data reflects that positive trend and our executive director of partnerships and place, Lisa Dodd-Mayne, is excited about how our investment can help further grow this interest.
“The Lionesses’ legacy continues to roar with women and girls’ football growing at pace,” she said.
“Our latest Active Lives Adults survey results show that football is the most popular team sport for women, with nearly 300,000 thousand playing every month.
“We’re delighted to help create even more opportunities for women and girls to play the beautiful game in their local places and spaces.”
The fund was launched last year to capitalise on the interest in the women’s game sparked by the Lionesses’ second successive UEFA Women’s Euros victory.
Every year, between May and September, the new HERe to Play Fund will help these clubs and organisations with two different amounts:
- £500 for those aiming to provide recreational football opportunities through an England Football Programme, including Wildcats, Comets, Squad or JustPlay.
- £1,500 for those looking to offer a new affiliated women’s and girls’ team in the 26/27 football season.
This year the fund will be open from 11 May to 30 September, and clubs and organisations will be able to use it to hire facilities to kick-start activity.
Other elements covered include kit and equipment, promotion and publicity, affiliation and league fees, referee costs, or insurance and courses for coaches and volunteers.
The CEO of the Football Association, Robert Sullivan, hopes the effects of the new fund will be felt both in the short and long term.
“We are delighted to launch the next phase of our HERe To Play Fund, continuing our proud support for the growth of the women’s and girls’ game,” he said.
"It is vital that both existing players and the new generation of women and girls’ coming into the game have quality, inclusive and accessible places to play.
“At this vital moment in the growth of the game, this injection of funding will lay the groundwork for women and girls across the country to ensure they have the set up they need to unlock their potential on the pitch.”
For support to make your facilities more accessible, the HERe to Play Fund is available all year round.
It already provides up to £25k of funding for the improvement of changing rooms, including the placement of sanitary bins, the fitting of exterior lighting or for the provision of hairdryers.
Together, the funds will help support clubs and organisations to improve access so every woman and girl finds a great place to play.