Latest news with #PlayTheirWay
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lioness Nikita Parris visits Chadderton FC with National Lottery
Lionesses star Nikita Parris visited grassroots side Chadderton FC this week to celebrate The National Lottery's investment into women's and girl's football. For more than 30 years, The National Lottery has invested more than £6 billion into grassroots sports, including changing the game for women's and girls' football. The investment has helped drive progress from the elite success to grassroots growth, including funding for the UEFA Women's Euro Legacy Programme, creating over 500,000 opportunities for women and girls to get involved with the game. Parris, who started her grassroots journey at Kingsley United in Liverpool, has witnessed the meteoric rise of grassroots level since the historical Euros win of the Lionesses on home soil in 2022. More than £30 million has been raised by National Lottery players each week to help fund 90,000 grassroots sports projects. Parris said: 'It definitely has captivated young players because they're out here in the rain, enjoying a session powered by The National Lottery who have invested £6 million. The girls are out here having fun and ultimately creating memories and having some celebrations of the Women's Euros.' Embed from Getty Images This event saw over 20 girls from Chadderton's youth teams take part in the session with the Euro 2022 winner, despite the rain. They are home to five girls' teams from U11s to U16s. Chadderton have been able to grow their women and girls football section thanks to a significant National Lottery investment. They received a £950,000 National Lottery grant through the Football Foundation's Lionesses Fund, supporting the creation of the £1.4 million 3G pitch that serves as the club's heartbeat. Read more: Rachel Yankey backs 'Play Their Way' as Oxford United Girls champion child-first coaching Chadderton FC coach Sophie Julien said: 'About five or six years ago, we didn't have a girls section but we've grown massively with over 150 girls signed on, which is over 20 percent of the club's total membership.' Chadderton hosted a Big Football Day, powered by The National Lottery on July 13th. Hundreds of clubs and providers across England staged events to encourage more women and girls to give football a go. The club's ambitions continue to grow, perfectly aligning with The FA's commitment to unlocking equal opportunities for women and girls in football. Plans to introduce Wildcats sessions for the youngest girls and further expand their offering throughout all age groups demonstrate how initial National Lottery investment has created sustainable, ongoing benefits for the community. Related articles from Her Football Hub: Hannah Hampton: Defying the odds to become England's hero Exclusive: England legend Rachel Yankey opens up on emotions, Alessia Russo and Arsenal's quadruple Euro 2025 quarter-finals: Penalty thrillers, Italian brilliance, England keep title defence alive
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ex-Lioness says girls should 'feel valued' during Oxford session
A former Lioness has said footballers "want to make sure that girls feel valued" within the game and during training record cap holder Rachel Yankey took part in a girls' football session run by Oxford United for Play Their Way, a campaign backed by Sport took place at the club's training ground at Oxford Sports Park, with the aim to highlight the changes needed to coaching to keep girls playing football and staying active for life. The campaign aims to transform the way children are coached amid a growing sports "enjoyment gap" between boys and girls, leading to increased numbers of girls dropping out of sport after primary school. The latest Sport England Children's Active Lives Survey also shows a gender gap in physical activity with girls less likely to be active than by Play Their Way featuring more than 1,000 children also found that girls are less likely than boys to feel encouraged and listened to by their who now coaches grassroots football in schools, said the campaign was all about "positive first experiences"."We want to make sure that girls feel valued within the game, within the training session, and ... actually give something back," she said in an interview for BBC Radio said watching the girls in Oxford helping plan, design and having "a real impact" on the session, "shows their value in it"."Once they've had input, they want to come back and they want to be involved." Yankey's visit was ahead of tonight's England match against the Netherlands in the Women's said some of the girls, "may want to go on to become an England footballer at the highest level" like the Lionesses, while others might just "enjoy playing sport and making new friends"."That's equally as important for introducing people to the game, to the sport and to a healthier lifestyle."Yankey said the campaign was about supporting coaches as well and appealed to coaches, teachers and parents to get more information on it."That may help one person to then coach a little differently and maybe think about the child first rather than how the session has to be run," she said. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
