The FA Launches Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers Initiative
The Football Association [FA] in partnership with Barclays, has announced a nationwide school campaign to understand the entrenched societal barriers that affect girls’ participation in football.
The initiative Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers will provide free resources to primary and secondary schools across the country to start important conversations about the gendered barriers still present in sport, hoping to increase inclusivity and access to participation.
The FA and Barclays Girls Football in School’s Partnership has, over many years, worked to support educators in making equal access to football in schools a reality. This new campaign hopes to break down the remaining barriers with fresh insight showing that gender stereotyping, misogyny, and a lack of body confidence are the most significant factors still holding girls back.
Why do we need this initiative?
It’s been 4 years since Ian Wright made an impassioned plea on national television during the 2022 Euros asking:
“If girls are not allowed to play football just like the boys can in their PE after this tournament, then what are we doing?”
And from this defining tournament, the sport has grown exponentially.
Girls football participation has more than doubled, rising from 1.2 million in the 20/21 season to 2.7m in 24/25 with 79% of key stage 1-4 and 90% of key stage 2-3 providing equal access to football for girls and boys in PE lessons.
Despite this, new insight has shown that barriers still remain to girls' participation with stereotyping, misogyny and a lack of body confidence key factors in girls' reluctance to play.
71% of primary school teachers say girls are held back as they feel excluded by boys, with this amongst the key barriers that the FA aim to tackle. Youth Sport Trust suggests girls are over three times more likely than boys to lack confidence when taking part in physical activity, representing the need for early targeted support and understanding.
What is included?
Made for this Game: Breaking Barriers provides topical lesson packs including powerpoints, work sheets and activities for students and teachers to begin these important conversations with girls and boys early in life. In line with feedback, the FA are also providing teachers with a video podcast, hosted by comedian Maise Adams and featuring Rachel Brown Finnis and Educating Yorkshire’s Matthew Burton, exploring the wider societal challenges young people face and how teachers and adults can actively help address these barriers in the classroom and guide the conversations between students.
Primary School resources include a focus on misogyny, inclusion and challenging gender stereotypes.
Secondary School resources address more complex barriers including body confidence and wellbeing, as 63% of secondary school teachers mention body image and self-consciousness as the biggest factors stopping teenage girls from taking part.
The resources also feature famous face Molly Rainford from CBBC, in conversation with primary school pupils about how gender stereotypes can negatively shape young people's beliefs. With secondary aged girls, she discusses society's pressure on women and teenage self image and body confidence, facilitating further classroom discussions and breaking barriers to inclusion across genders. Molly said that her conversations with young people as part of the initiative were “eye-opening” stating that:
“It’s really important that we change the narrative and understand why they think this and what we could do to change that. The conversation is much greater than football itself, but it's a great place to start.”
What has been said
Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers launched last week in Islington, with Barclays Football Ambassador Ian Wright joining classroom and staffroom sessions to chat with pupils and teachers about barriers that remain for girls in sport.
Sue Day, Director of Women’s Football at the FA expressed the importance of the campaign to begin dialogue with young people about societies boundaries to sports participation:
“I hope we can help to develop a generation of girls who truly believe that football is for them. It’s no use having role models in our Lionesses and the elite players of the Barclays WSL and WSL2 for girls to look up to, if they don’t feel that football is a place for them to thrive.
There is always more to be done but I’m really proud that we’re tackling the difficult challenge of breaking down barriers head on in a bid to create a more supportive, inclusive and accepting environment for the next generation of girls and boys.”
Head of Sponsorship and Client Experience at Barclays Tom Corbett is proud at the long-standing partnership already created and the impact it has had on girls’ participation in football however recognising that:
“Access alone isn’t enough. Too many girls are still held back by stereotypes, self‑doubt and wider societal pressures. That’s why we’re proud to build on this progress… breaking down the barriers that stop girls from even wanting to step on the pitch, and creating environments where they feel confident, welcome and seen.”
The evolution of the FA’s Made for This Game campaign has spawned incredible improvements to access, participation and confidence for women and girls, both young and old. Breaking Barriers creates more conversations, starting from the very beginning, to ensure the longevity of participation continues, creating a more inclusive future for football.
Made for This Game: Breaking Barriers educational resources are now available to schools at:https://www.girlsfootballinschools.org/