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Title Partner
28 July 2025

How to get involved in girls’ football

How to get involved in girls’ football

In the wake of yet another brilliant success for the Lionesses, we’ve had lots of people asking us about how their daughter can start playing football.

We offer playing opportunities for girls aged 5-16 of all skill levels – from free community football to an elite pipeline to the women’s first team, there’s something suitable for everyone.

Nathan Casselton, Football Participation Manager at the Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that the Lionesses have inspired the country once again with their success at the Euros this summer, and we hope to see that translate into a boom in grassroots girls’ football over the coming months and years.

“After the finals in 2022 and 2023 we saw significant increases in the amount of girls showing an interest in our football activities, and we’d love to see that happen again.”

So how can girls start playing with the BHAFC Foundation?

Holiday camps

Brighton & Hove Albion Soccer Schools are a great place for girls aged 5-16 to try football for the first time – learn new skills, make friends, and have fun in a safe and structured environment.

We run mixed and girls-only sessions all over Sussex during school holidays – this summer, our girls-only session are running in Brighton, Worthing, Chichester, Eastbourne, and Crawley.

Find out more about our holiday camps here.

Free community football

Our Premier League Kicks programme brings free community football sessions to young people aged 8-18 living in higher-need areas.

These sessions are fun-focused, and aimed at children living in each session’s local area.

We run dozens of weekly sessions across Sussex including several girls-only groups. PL Kicks is a chance to enjoy football on a weekday afternoon/evening in a safe and supervised environment, alongside:

  • Young people’s leadership programme.
  • Social action projects.
  • Mentoring support.
  • Lifestyle guidance to help young people make positive life choices.

If this sounds right for you, a good place to start could be at our holiday tournaments. You can also see which weekly PL Kicks sessions we run during term time by clicking here.

Talent pathway

We support girls aged 5-13 in their development as young players, providing high-quality coaching helping talented players to reach their full potential. Our talent pathway sits directly below the club’s academy system, providing a direct pathway to the club academy for our most gifted players.

We have sessions suitable for girls of all abilities, with opportunities to progress to higher levels when the time is right.

Additionally, girls who show promise at our holiday camps or after-school clubs may be invited into our talent pathway.

To find out more about our girls’ player pathway, contact us and we’ll help put you on the right track.

Disability football

girl kicking a football

We also run weekly disability football sessions, suitable for people with a wide range of needs.

Perhaps our inclusive sessions on a Saturday are right for you, or maybe our women and girls-only group on a Sunday. Whatever your needs, we probably have a group where you feel at home playing football.

Contact us at disability@bhafcfoundation.org.uk or click here to find out more.

Our Girls’ Pathway and disability football programmes are supported by the Premier League PFA Community Fund.

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