The 13th of October is a momentous day for us here at Girls United as it marks the anniversary of the founding of Club London. This year, we’re celebrating its 3rd anniversary and we couldn’t be prouder of everything that we’ve achieved to date.
To celebrate this occasion, our founder Romina Calatayud has taken some time to reflect upon the last 3 years and we’re excited to share her thoughts with you below.
A note from Romina…
Three years ago, I was walking through Peckham Rye Park, taking in the familiar scenes of Saturday morning football - balls flying, parents with coffees, kids running around and lots of shouting. It was reminiscent of my own childhood in which I spent many Saturday mornings out on the pitch playing the game I love. And just like when I was little, I noticed the few girls on the pitch braving it out, playing with the boys; some months later, just across the park from that spot, we set up Girls United Club London.
When I first decided to set up Club London, I faced the uncertainty of starting something new in a city where football is a game of heritage. However, it will always be a challenge to understand a new context and how you fit into it until you allow yourself to try it – so I combined the excitement of doing something I saw as truly meaningful with a willingness to fail. I knew that we had to start small, but I also had high ambitions for what I envisioned the programme to become. My main goal was to create a club where all girls, regardless of who they were and where they came from, would feel welcome to play, and more than that – a place where players, coaches and the wider community could use the power of football to help drive equality.
We started the club with a few girls, a couple of very dedicated coaches, and a single Saturday session. And whilst I’d like to say that we took off from there, it wasn’t that straightforward. In the coming weeks our attendance was varied, we had some sessions with more coaches than players. However, the team understood that each and every girl that we could inspire to love football was worthwhile, and we stayed motivated by our passion to empower through sport. We continued to spread the word of our mission amongst local communities and found allies who understood its importance. As we began to resonate with more young girls and their families, we could see that we were creating a space that was welcome and needed.
The last three years have been full of ups and downs, but working alongside an incredibly talented team, we now have over 500 players engaged with all of our programmes and a coaching team made up of 18 unique and inspiring coaches. I feel unbelievably humbled looking back over everything we’ve achieved, and I can’t wait to continue this success into the future.
So, what’s next for Club London? I’m constantly thinking about how we can grow the club and create more pathways for girls to feel welcomed into football. Whether they want to play socially, or competitively, we want to create a space in which they can play without reservation. We want to make sure that all of our young girls have sporting experiences that help them to be the best version of themselves. Not only that, but we also want to prioritise getting more females involved in coaching and the management of programmes – at the moment there are simply not enough women in these roles. We’re working hard to break down barriers and give women the platform and resources they need to take that next step.
Recently I was at one of our U15s games, watching players who I have seen grow taller than me over the last few years competing in an 11-a-side game, hearing their parents on the sidelines cheer them on. It took me back to when I was that age, and I know that it was moments like this that were pivotal in shaping the person that I am today. Now, I can see our whole community coming together to join us in our mission of making football anyone's sport, and giving more girls an environment where they feel like they belong.
We want to open our doors to those who believe in the power of football as a driver of gender equality. From fans of the game who can share our stories; programme leaders who can identify new communities in need of a Girls United space; to coaches who want to inspire the next generation of footballers; or partners who want to join forces in creating powerful collaborations to generate meaningful change. Girls United wouldn’t be where it is today without the support of the people and brands who believe in the power of football as a driver for gender equality. And you could be a part of that change moving forward.
If you’re passionate about gender equality and the power of sport for changing lives, drop me an email on romina@girlsunitedfa.org. I’d love to have a chat.