SouthEast Londoner: International Day of the Girl 2023 celebrations

Peckham based football club ‘Girls United’ hosted an action-packed tournament to honour the ‘International Day of the Girl’ at Dulwich College last week. 

The tournament brought multiple south London schools from the ‘Girls United x Nike Love the Game’ programme together. Girls from years 4 to 6 played across four pitches, with over 100 students present, alongside Chelsea women’s footballer Aggie Beever-Jones to bring the all-important stardom.

The event’s aim was to celebrate girls and how they can inspire those around them when given the space and platform.

Communications manager Josh Emerson, 29, said: “After the success of the Lionesses I think we planned for a boom in participation and there has been a real growth. We want girls to learn to play without the fear of failure.”

Alongside the tournament, they teamed up with Ben Wild Studios who, along with players from London and Mexico, created a unique animated video. 

Players from both locations were invited to personalise the drawings, adding colour and other elements that best described how football made them and those around them feel.

Since its launch in 2017, Girls United coaches have provided over 5,000 hours of sessions to approximately 4,500 participants in London and Mexico combined. 

The London branch of the organisation have 15 FA accredited coaches and over 800 girls participate in competitive matches over the course of the season.

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France 24 (ESP): Inglaterra está en la final y Diario del Mundial Femenino analiza su clasificación

Watch Romina Calatayud comment on England’s qualification to the World Cup Final from Boxpark Croydon.

Girls United London on BBC News during England vs China

Watch Girls United Founder & CEO, Romina, and Girls United London Coach Robert speak to BBC News during World Cup group stage fixture England - China, as they watch the game from Boxpark Croydon.

Sky Sports Visits Girls United London #PeckhamToBrisbane Challenge

In the lead up to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Girls United held a fundraising challenge that saw their community cover the distance between their home pitch in Peckham, South London, and the venue of of the first Lioness World Cup fixture in Brisbane - 10,262 miles!

Sky Sports reporter Miriam Walker-Khan visited Girls United during the campaign and spoke to players as well as CEO & Founder, Romina Calatayud.

N+Media Mexico visits the Girls United "Crea Espacio" Festival in Mexico City with Monica Rodriguez

Nury Novelo paid a visit to the Girls United "Crea Espacio" festival in Mexico City with Monica Rodriguez, captain of professional Liga FX Feminil team America.

VERSUS: Girls United Hosted Over 200 Grassroots Players in a 5-A-Side International Women’s Day Celebration

ver the weekend, 230 players took part in Girls United’s annual International Women’s Day tournament with hundreds of attendees helping the non-profit organisation reach its fundraising goal of £6k to support the creation of safe spaces for girls and young women in football.

30 London-based grassroots teams competed in 129 games across six pitches - shoutout to those who balled out on the VERSUS pitch! - with South London Laces, Football Beyond Borders Women, and Deep Heat ending the day with medals in hand.

In addition to the football, participants were also invited to the 'Challenge Pitch' to take part in different activities to win some serious prizes that included match-worn shirts and boots from Girls United Global Ambassador and Real Madrid baller, Caroline Weir.

Read the full article here.

Guardian: Girls United - Creating pathways for young players from London to Mexico

Women’s football is on a well-documented rise. At elite level, the sport continues to professionalise while increased visibility has increased its reach like never before. Its sustainability, however, relies on the development of a strong grassroots network with girls continuing to gain access to and being empowered by a sport from which, globally, they have traditionally been excluded.

It is in this space that Girls United, founded in 2017 by Romina Calatayud, exists. Romina’s interest in football came from playing from a young age. “It’s been an important part of my upbringing and a personal passion,” she says. “As many girls and women of my generation have, I grew up playing on pitches where I was often the only girl.”

Read the full article here.

She Kicks: Sports Direct to donate free footballs for ‘Equal Access’ campaign featuring Girls United

Sports Direct are to donate free footballs to grassroots clubs through their ‘Equal Access’ campaign, after growing calls for more opportunities for girls.

The pledge was officially launched today via an event with Girls United, who became the first grassroots club to receive a donation of footballs along with valuable equipment. Modern game trailblazers, Emma Hayes and Fara Williams, were both on hand to visit the club and deliver the balls, whilst offering their own advice to help inspire the next generation.

Read the full article here.

The Observer: Women’s Euros final set for a female flypast and a full house at Wembley

Girls United Football Association, which has worked with more than 650 girls in south London in the last year, said the tournament had enabled it to take dozens of girls to their first football matches, but that impact on participation would not be apparent until the start of the new season.

Spokesperson Josh Emerson said a meaningful legacy would be enabling all girls to play football in schools.

Marcela Villa-Mackenzie, from south-east London, is one of 10 Girls United players chosen to walk on to the pitch at Wembley with the England and Germany teams at the start of the match. The 11-year-old, who started playing football four years ago, said: “It’s the best thing that I’ve done and I’m really excited.”

She said the Euros had changed views of women’s and girls’ football. “People think men are a bit more exciting, which isn’t true, but now people have really thought ‘Oh, women are just the same as men.’”

Read the full article here.

Financial Times: Pride of the nation: Can the Lionesses tackle the challenges still facing the game?

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Where progress is being made is at the grass roots level, particularly for young players. The FA says that more than 2.5mn women and girls are now registered as players, making it the top female participation sport in England. Football school Girls United started offering coaching on Peckham Rye common in south London in 2018. At first it would attract just a handful of girls each week, according to founder Romina Calatayud. Growth was slow but steady, until lockdown hit and everything came to a standstill. But when it reopened in early 2021, there was so much demand that organisers had to introduce waiting lists. Just 18 months later, Girls United is now coaching more than 500 children a week. “It’s overwhelming how quick it’s growing”, Calatayud said. “The growth of the game is getting to a point where it starts to seem like a career prospect that is worthwhile”, she added. “We even see it with the dads — they want their girls to be professional footballers now. They’re on the sidelines now thinking: she’s the next Lucy Bronze.”

Read the full article here.

Vogue: Fifty Years Of Nike

To mark Nike's 50th anniversary, some of Britain's best talent and brand ambassadors - from sprinter Dina Asher-Smith to fashion designer Martine Rose - come together to talk about change, championing female athletes and more

Romina Calatayud, Founder & CEO of Girls United 

“I’ve played football my whole life. It was a very important part of my experience growing up. I think, along the way, I just met too many girls and women who didn’t have the opportunity to play,” Romina Calatayud, founder and CEO of Girls United, tells British Vogue. “I felt really passionate about doing something about it, so I went for it.” That’s exactly why Girls United’s vision marries perfectly with Nike’s. It’s about levelling the playing field and closing the gender “play” gap. “The partnership with Nike,” says Calatayud, ”hopefully we can strive to be a network of players, coaches and fans who really believe in the power of football for creating a more gender-equal society. I think giving them a platform is also so important – and something I know Nike really tries to do – so it’s exciting to be a part of it.”

“Hopefully, with Nike, Girls United can strive to be a network of players, coaches and fans who believe in the power of football for creating a more gender-equal society”

Read more here.

ELLE Magazine: Everyone's Game: Football Is Coming Home

From supporting education and social-inclusion initiatives (like FBB) and leagues such as the Girls Super League to providing equipment and safe spaces for amateur women and non-binary teams to play, Nike is safeguarding grassroots football. In March, British world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith selected non-profit youth team Girls United to receive a CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) America grant as part of Nike’s Athlete Think Tank, commending the ‘amazing work [they do] for our community’.

All of the elite players on the shoot today stress the importance of grassroots football; reminiscing about discovering the sport in that carefree team environment, playing with boys first before breaking through when someone spotted their talent. It seems not much has changed when talking to the next generation: Bloomsbury Football player Ava Marie King, and Girls United FA’s Mia Hill, Mabel Luxford and Anna Harder. ‘I went to watch England and Germany at Wembley [in 2019] – the record attendance – and it was a good atmosphere,’ says under-12 goalkeeper Hill. ‘I was the only girl that chose football in PE.’

Read more here.

VERSUS: Girls United Brought Together Hundreds of Grassroots Players in Celebration of International Women’s Day

Over 200 players attended Girls United’s fifth tournament fundraiser at the weekend, all in an effort to provide footballing opportunities to girls wanting to access the 'beautiful game'.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the tournament brought together teams from all over the country including Manchester Laces, who made the journey to London to face fellow grassroots teams Bend it Like Peckham FC, Football Beyond Borders Women and Goal Diggers FC.

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Inician visorias de fútbol femenil para la Zona Maya de Quintana Roo

La convocatoria bajo la coordinación de club Chicas Unidas FA, es para jugadoras mayores de 16 años y será en el campo de la unidad deportiva Serapio Flota Mas de Bacalar.

Este domingo 22 se llevará a cabo una visoría para el fútbol femenil de la Zona Sur del Estado de Quintana Roo, ene le campo de la unidad deportiva Serapio Flota Mas de Bacalar, por parte del profesor José Mantilla, quien acude al país mexicano desde la ciudad de Quito, Ecuador.

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