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https://www.ft.com/content/49318256-ddc2-4bbc-8943-761705efd76d
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.”
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