A female-only participation centre has been launched in West Region after a community consultation found out young females, especially those from an ethnic minority background, were not actively engaged in football.
It has allowed girls of all backgrounds who had never before experienced football to come together in a multicultural, gender segregated, recreational environment and take part whilst providing a positive experience for them to build confidence and enhance leadership skills to become active citizens within their communities.
It has also ensured more opportunities to grow participation whilst promoting integration and strengthening community and social development.
As a result, there are now at least 20 diverse girls attending the programme each week to take part in recreational football and opportunities for development through structured training, games and tournaments.
Furthermore, linking the girls’ group to several community clubs has been successful – it has provided a pathway for those who want to develop further. Also, the programme has been able to support the girls to enable them to progress through coaching qualifications, which have been further enhanced by a coach mentoring scheme.
“Football brings different people from different backgrounds together. Communicating with each other, trusting your team mates and being confident is the key to playing football. ‘The team’ makes football beautiful. The team is made up of people from all over the world, making it a global language. That is why, as a female from a different background, I love playing football and especially as my team has brought girls from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Scotland and elsewhere in Europe together to enjoy the sport and learn from each other.” Pinar Aksu – Female Participant
West and South West Regions
James Docherty
Regional Office: 0141 886 7366
Mobile: 07506 714248
james.docherty@scottishfa.co.uk
and
Hala Ousta
Mobile: 07506 754319
hala.ousta@scottishfa.co.uk