Cardiff City FC Community Foundation Celebrates International Women’s Day!

To mark International Women's Day on the 8th of March 2024, Cardiff City FC Community Foundation invited women and girls to participate in a Back2Back Girls Football Festival. The event aimed to promote equality in football and empower young girls as they begin their sports journeys.

The entire day was coordinated by a strong team of female staff, coaches, tutors, and students, all united in their mission to foster positive behaviours in girls and their football ability.

To kick off the celebration, a Premier League Primary Stars Inclusive Football Festival took place at the Cardiff City House of Sport. Premier League Community Captain, Chloe McBratney (and Guide Dog Emily) joined Cardiff City FC Women’s First Team player, Rhianne Oakley, in leading and coaching at the event.

The morning event was attended by five different partner primary schools from across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Attendee schools included Mount Stuart, Ysgol Pancae, Pencaerau, Dinas Powys, and Lansdowne Primary Schools.

Teams from each of the schools were able to engage in a range of warm-up activities, including ‘Fire and Ice’ and ‘Packman’ and also some passing drills. In addition to this, they participated in a number of small team non-competitive matches. Every team member was rewarded with a certificate for taking part, which was graciously signed by Rhianne.

Rasheen, representing Mount Stuart Primary School, expressed her thoughts on the event. She deemed it to be “an amazing opportunity to play against other girls, improve their confidence, and develop female participation in sports. It’s great to have this event”.

Positive comments were also received from other schools in attendance:-

"Everything was fun, I had the chance to play against other girls, mixing with other people helps." Ysgol Pancae Primary School

"It’s lovely to be involved with Cardiff City to celebrate International Women’s day with Pencaerau." Pencaerau Primary School

‘I learned new skills, great to meet new people, a good way to introduce football to children who do not have experience and get them excited about the game.’ Lansdowne Primary School

Rhianne Oakley also expressed her delight at seeing so many young girls participating in and relishing football, she commented - "Just positive to see so many girls getting involved and enjoying football at a young age."

Premier League Primary Stars strives to transform the lives of primary school students by utilising the power of sport to encourage learning, physical activity, and the development of essential life skills. To find out more about our Primary Education provision, click here!

For the second half of the Girls Football Festival, the Community Foundation held an after-school Premier League Kicks & Inspires Football Tournament at Llanishen High School. Different teams from each year group came together to face each other in a friendly, non-competitive tournament.

Debbie Birch-Hirst, PE Teacher at the school, expressed her excitement about the Community Foundation choosing Llanishen High School to host the event. She commented "Cardiff City FC Community Foundation hosts Premier League Inspire sessions at Llanishen High every Friday. They have 30-40 girls playing, loving football at the tournament today and this has outstanding benefits for girls. It helps them to develop fitness, football, self-esteem, leadership, communication, and self-belief all because of joining in with football."

Premier League Inspires aims to assist students who may not reach their full potential during their educational journey and early adulthood. The programme serves as a training program and support system for at-risk and youth in secondary education. To find out more about our Secondary Education provision, click here!

Premier League Kicks is a youth outreach program that aims to create safer and more inclusive communities. This provides young people access to free football sessions, online activities, and opportunities for personal development. To find out more about our Premier League Kicks programme, click here!

The support from the Premier League and Premier League Charitable Fund has been instrumental in the success of these projects, enabling the Community Foundation to organise diverse sessions in local schools and the broader community. By fostering a safer and more inclusive environment, these efforts aim to change lives and transform communities.

Together, we can ensure football can be truly everyone’s game.

Acknowledgments: We would like to express our gratitude to Carys Tilley, BA Sports Business and Management student, for their invaluable assistance in collating the information presented in this article.

Want to be like Carys and undertake real world industry experience while you learn? Find out more about our Degree programme, in affiliation with EFL Trust and University of South Wales HERE!