Dreams of reaching the top and the legacy of the Lionesses Euros victory at grassroots level.
Girls United marked International Day of the Girl with a panel discussion at BOXPARK Shoreditch, supported by Sports Direct
On Friday 21 October 2022, Girls United brought their London community together in Central London to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Girl with an intimate event which included a panel discussion hosted by Mollie and Rosie Kmita, as well as the unveiling of their latest concept kit designed by award winning designers Play.
This year is the 10th anniversary of International Day of the Girl, a day to raise awareness and visibility around the inequality girls face across the world. The theme of the celebration, “Dreams come through…”, focused conversations around the dreams and ambitions of girls in football.
This follows a recent report published by Women in Sport and event sponsors Sports Direct which revealed the existence of “a dream gap”. According to this survey, nearly 70% of girls who love playing sport dream of reaching the top, almost levelling with sporty boys at 75%. However, Half as many girls (21%) as boys (39%) say that they do lots of sport and 17% more girls than boys say they love sport but lack the opportunity to play.
Whilst girls in sport are now dreaming bigger, there are still too many barriers preventing girls from accessing sport and the opportunities required to reach the very top.
The panel discussion hosted by Mollie and Rosie Kmita, presenters of the Barclays Women’s Championship Show on Sky Sports and owners of Level 7 Academy, included Girls United under 10s player Elizabeth Perrett and Girls United London Manager, Abigail Ingram. With the conversation delving into each panellist's dreams and aspirations, the various barriers faced by girls and the legacy of this summer’s UEFA Women’s Euros was also discussed.
Elizabeth spoke of her experience with Girls United as a mascot at the Euro’s opening game at Old Trafford, which set the Lionesses on their way to a historic home tournament victory. A victory that was swiftly followed by an open letter from the European Champions demanding more opportunities for girls to play football.
During the discussion Elizabeth said that her dream was to “one day play for England as a striker, or maybe play in a band” but also crucially that her experience as a mascot with Girls United and playing in weekly sessions had helped her to believe that this “might just be possible”.
Mollie, Rosie and Abigail shared their own experiences and highlighted the importance of grassroots organisations such as Girls United and their own Level 7 Academy in providing these very opportunities for young people in London and beyond.
The event also gave Girls United the perfect opportunity to unveil their new away kit, designed by award winning Play and chosen by the Girls United community. The kit pays tribute to one of Brixton’s most celebrated icons, David Bowie, and connects the organisation to their South London roots. Niall Smillie of Play was in attendance at BOXPARK and provided an insight into the design process.
Romina Calatayud, Girls United Founder and CEO commented: “Bringing our community together to celebrate girls and young women who chase their dreams is very important to us. We wanted to mark International Day of the Girl in a meaningful way that could raise awareness around the barriers faced by girls and young women in building those dreams. Encouraging girls to dream and giving them the tools and experiences to do so is a fundamental part of gender equality.
“I was lucky enough to be with Elizabeth and 10 other Girls United players when they walked out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, into the bright lights and booming atmosphere of a sold out match. There is no doubt that experiences like that and seeing women’s football getting the exposure it deserves are important steps in the right direction.
“Ultimately the legacy of this summer’s Euros will be determined by whether or not structural changes are made in order to address issues such as the dream gap and barriers faced by girls wishing to play football are removed. More schools need to open their football sessions to girls, pitches need to be made available and funding needs to reach the grassroots.”
This event was part of Girls United’s wider International Day of the Girl celebrations which included an intersquad tournament being held in Mexico and a Game Day event taking place at Streatham Vale Park in London. These events brought over 120 girls together to play football and take part in workshops, themed around dreams and ambitions.
Venue sponsor BOXPARK launched its #WOMXNWHOPLAY campaign to champion women in sport and inspire the next generation of female athletes and sports enthusiasts, ahead of the Women’s European championships. As part of the initiative, BOXPARK curated an ‘all-womxn sports team’, collaborating with 12 trailblazers in the sports to celebrate women in sport, whilst exploring the deeper issues faced by young women when pursuing a career or hobby in sports through exhibitions, a series of motivational panel talks with the talent and guest speakers, live podcasts and workshops.
