The Aston Villa Foundation share a commitment to help develop girls in football, whether this be as players, coaches, referees or other roles within the game.
In March, we hosted several events to commemorate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, supporting the promotion of a number of female empowerment programmes.
As part of Everybody’s Game, we hosted an International Women’s Day tournament on Sunday, March 2 at Aston Villa’s Inner-City Academy.
Starting with a ‘power time’ workout activation, the event was followed by a football tournament with over 80 female players, coaches and parents from local grassroots clubs taking part. Participants were also given tickets to watch Aston Villa Women take on Everton at Villa Park.
The initiative, funded by the Premier League Charitable Fund, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and Islamic Relief, brings inclusive opportunities for women and girls to get involved across mainstream football, either as players, volunteers, coaches or referees.
Wai Wan, co-ordinator for the Women and Girls side of the Everybody’s Game project said: “With the 20 years' experience I've been coaching in the game, I want to be able to inspire, not just young players but aspiring coaches, referees and volunteers.
"Some may not have the confidence, or feel they know much about the game, and within my role I want to be able to share the experiences I've had on my journey with them.”
The Foundation's Primary School Sports and Education team welcomed girls to Villa Park from four local primary schools for a multi-sports activity session and workshop, focusing on three different aspects of female empowerment: Girl’s pathways in sports, gender stereotypes and women in sport throughout the years.
Pupils also heard advice from Aston Villa Women's General Manager Marisa Ewers, Youth Technical Director Cristina Torkildsen and player Maz Pacheco.
All schools who attended engage with the Foundation as part of Aston Villa’s Premier League Primary Stars programme. Funded by the Premier League, through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the programme uses the appeal of football to help children be active and develop essential life skills.
Primary Schools Sport and Education Manager Danielle Beckett said: “Celebrating campaigns such as International Women’s Day helps empower the girls in the local communities around Villa Park, showcasing how female involvement in football and sport is increasing.
"During the 2023/24 academic year, 18 girls-only extra-curricular football sessions were able to take place outside of the classroom environment, which we hope will continue to rise into 2025.”
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Secondary school students from Aston Villa's Premier League Inspires programme entered the Lion’s Den to pitch their concepts around this year’s Premier League Inspires Challenge theme ‘This Is Everyone’s Game - Gender Equality'.
Pitching to a panel of Foundation staff, students developed projects that align with the Premier League’s commitment to combating discrimination in football. The winning school, Stockland Green, will be invited to a celebration event at Wembley Stadium later this year to showcase their project idea to programme participants from other club community organisations.
Premier League Inspires is a personal development programme, funded by the Premier League and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) through the Premier League Charitable Fund. The programme uses the power of football to inspire young people aged 11-18 to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.
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