Following the trail-brazing success of the Lionesses, the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation has launched a new fund to provide women and girls playing grassroots football with welcoming and inclusive facilities.
In the last four years the number of girls participating in football has more than doubled from 1.2m in 20/21 season to 2.7m in 24/25, undoubtedly inspired by the Lionesses triumphant success in back-to-back UEFA Women’s EUROs.
Through the Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, the Football Foundation will help ensure grassroots sports facilities across England are welcoming, safe and accessible for this new generation of players, helping to translate the spike in demand into a long-term transformation of grassroots football.
Millie Bright, England and Chelsea defender, and Football Foundation Supporter said:
“It is incredible to see how the Lionesses’ success over the last few years has driven change across the country to support all those who have been inspired to play the game. We must ensure that the women and girls who are heading down to their local pitch have the best experience when they get there and welcoming and accessible facilities are at the heart of this.
“I know from my experience of playing grassroots as a kid that football gave me a greater sense of confidence, helped me make friends and get active. I want players to keep returning to their local facility. Thanks to the Lionesses HERe to Play Fund things such as better lighting to help women and girls feel safe; the conversion of open showers to ones in cubicles; and the provision of sanitary bins, will ensure all women and girls feel like they belong to grassroots clubs. Importantly I hope that it will ensure they want to return again and again.”
The Lionesses HERe to Play Fund will provide clubs and organisations the chance to apply for grants of up to £25,000 for items that will make their facilities more inclusive such as:
- Better lighting
- Clearer signage
- Sanitary bins
- Conversion of open showers to cubicle showers
- Private spaces for baby change and breastfeeding
- Officials’ changing spaces
- Changing room improvements
Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said:
“25 years ago, a unique partnership between the Premier League, The FA and Government created the Football Foundation to ensure every community has a great place to play.
“In recent years we’ve seen the women’s and girls’ game going from strength to strength, particularly following the Lionesses’ inspiring victories. Last season, over 12,500 women’s and girls’ grassroots football teams were playing on sites that’ve benefitted from the funding we’ve delivered to help meet this growing demand.
“The Lionesses HERe to Play Fund will enable even more women and girls to get down to their local pitch, whether they dream of following in their heroes’ footsteps or just want to enjoy the game with their friends.”
Clare Sumner, Premier League Chief Policy and Social Impact Officer said:
“The Premier League’s joint funding for the Football Foundation’s ongoing work, including to provide more safe and accessible facilities through the Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, forms part of our longstanding commitment to women’s and girls’ football.
“This spans grassroots level, professional pathways through funding for FA Emerging Talent Centres, supporting the FA Women’s National League, and the 100,000 girls engaged on our community programmes each season. Young women across the country have been inspired by the Lionesses’ recent success and, in supporting this initiative and others, we’re proud to play our part in helping to better enable access to football for women and girls.”
Sue Day, Director of Women’s Football at The FA, said:
“The Lionesses’ incredible success has ignited something powerful, inspiring a new generation of women and girls to step forward and play.
“While the game has made huge strides in just a short period, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to developing and sustaining it. The Lionesses HERe to Play Fund is an important step forward – providing the ongoing investment needed at grassroots level to ensure more women and girls not only have the opportunity to access football but are empowered to thrive in it.”
In addition to The Lionesses HERe to Play Fund, the Football Foundation has today announced it will continue naming facilities in honour of the Lionesses who took part in the last three international tournaments. New squad members from the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025-winning team, Aggie Beever-Jones, Michelle Agyemang, Anna Moorhouse, Grace Clinton, Khiara Keating, Jess Park and Maya Le Tissier, will each have a Football Foundation-funded facility in their respective hometowns, or in places that shaped their footballing careers, named in their honour to help inspire the next generation.
