Meeting the lionesses
It’s the summer of women’s football! Help us bust stereotypes and celebrate the women’s game
52% of girls have never watched football in a stadium, compared to 33% of boys.
CHILDWISE, 2022
UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 has kicked off this month, and we’ve been so excited to join in the fun.
Through our partnership, volunteers and girls up and down the country have been able to watch the best of women’s football live together with their whole unit. We’ve loved seeing girls inspired by brilliant football, whether they’re watching at the stadium or at home.
We know that having the opportunity to experience football matters a lot to girls and young women. Lots of girls feel like they don’t have as many opportunities as boys to play, and that women’s football should be celebrated just as much as the men’s game. So it was amazing when some units in Manchester got a very special opportunity.
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers got to visit Old Trafford Stadium to meet two lionesses – Ella Toone and Katie Zelem. They had a kick about together with our new football topper activities and got to ask them some questions in their very own press conference.
We caught up with volunteer Becky and Rangers Imogen and Elena, who all attended on the day. We chatted about how much it meant to girls to meet some iconic sporting heroes, and how volunteers can help girls have more opportunities to try out sporting activities.
Getting girls into football
For some of the girls who went to Old Trafford, this was one of the first experiences they’d had playing football. ‘I haven't had much experience with football as there wasn't much out there when I was growing up,’ says Ranger Imogen. 'I have played a couple of times, but only with my brothers and friends.'
Elena had a similar experience. 'I used to play when I was in primary school and didn’t continue in secondary school as there wasn’t a team or club available for me to join.'
We know that lots of girls feel like they get fewer opportunities than boys to play football. That was also Becky’s experience when she was growing up: ‘When I was younger there were very few junior girls’ teams around. You didn’t hear anything about the women’s teams - all I ever heard was the men’s. I think lots of girls still feel this way because there’s this persistent stereotype that girls and women cannot play football when that is totally not the case!’
Imogen agrees that stereotyping has a big impact on girls. ‘There are so many stereotypes of what a girl should do, play and look like. Some girls may think that if they don’t follow this, they might be seen as different. And maybe there’s a fear of being picked on for their differences.’
Elena points out that the lack of equal opportunities to play still has a big impact on lots of girls today. ‘I feel as though it can make girls feel secondary to their male teammates, leading them to doubt their own abilities not just in sports but in other aspects of life. It can make girls feel unwanted and unwelcome in the sport which could lead to lower levels of participation.’
47% of girls believe they have had equal opportunities to play football, compared with 68% of boys of the same age.
CHILDWISE, 2022
69% of girls would like to see women’s football celebrated more in the media and 71% of all children (boys and girls) think female footballers should be paid the same as male footballers.
CHILDWISE, 2022
Meeting the lionesses
Although the trip to Old Trafford was an experience for the girls, volunteer Becky found herself having just as much fun. ‘I was super excited - probably more excited than some of the girls and felt like such a massive child. I never thought I would have had an opportunity to be a part of such a great opportunity. We did a warm-up activity and then the topper activity, which was very fun. I was actually allowed to join in and may have got a bit too competitive!
‘I also just wanted to show that us guiding leaders can join in and not just sit back and watch. The press conference was pretty fun too as it was a time to hear and listen to the girls asking questions to Ella and Katie. Even some of the girls that were nervous about taking part were so happy that they did by the end of it!’
For most of the girls who went to Old Trafford, getting to interview the lionesses was a big highlight. Elena and Imogen reflected on what it means to girls to have women sporting icons to look up to: ‘It’s very important for women's sport to be shown just as much as the men’s,’ says Imogen. ‘It means younger generations don’t put a limit on what they can and can’t do, just because they’ve told that sport is for boys.’ Elena agrees. ‘Having women role models helps to show girls that they can participate in sport and will make them feel welcomed and valued. It’s so important.’
As a volunteer, Becky also thinks it’s really important for girls to have role models to look up to: ‘It helps them think, “yes, I can do this too”. Now that that the Women’s super league and internationals are being shown across various TV channels, many more people know who the lionesses are – they get so much positivity from the audience.’
How you can help
With our new topper activities, co-created with UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, you can do your bit to give girls more opportunity to try out football. As a volunteer, Becky feels the activities have something for everyone. ‘If your girls are really into sports they would love it! But there’s something to offer for girls who aren’t as into football too – they show that the sport is about more than just kicking a ball around the field, but about gaining new skills! They’re also very easy to understand - some of the leaders who ran it at the event had never played football before but really enjoyed it!
‘If you don’t do many sporty activities with your unit, my advice would be to have a go, and try something new. It could become your new passion! Speak to your other leaders or any young leaders to see what interests them. Maybe they’d be up for running a session or helping out.’
Becky’s also been loving the tournament so far. ‘I went to the opening game at Old Trafford – it was my first Lionesses game ever, and I was super excited to have the chance to go! I’ve been watching every other lionesses game at home, and of course the team I will be supporting is England!’
It’s not too late to celebrate UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 with us! There are matches on every day until 31 July. Check out our social media channels to get involved – we've made special gif stickers to represent every country in the tournament.
And of course, you can try out a free football topper with your unit, or treat yourself to our special badge celebrating the tournament. They’re all available in our online shop.
Let's show the love for women's football!
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