Leah Williamson, Mariona Caldentey, Victoria Pelova and Vivienne Lia made a passionate plea for young girls to stay in the game during a visit to one of the club’s local football sessions in north London.
Leah captained the Lionesses to Euros success in 2022, and the England team used that platform to advocate for more spaces for young girls to play football.
Speaking at Acland Burghley school in Tufnell Park two years later, she reflected on that legacy, and the importance of continuing to provide safe spaces for girls.
“There’s no way there would be this many girls participating in a session after school when I was there, it’s incredible,” Williamson said on the visit to a Kicks session for Year 7 girls run by Arsenal in the Community.
“It’s important that we show up for young girls, especially in schools in London where access to pitches can often be so limited. Becoming a young woman is hard, because this is the age everything starts to change. I just hope they stay in the game because it brings us joy and that’s all that matters.
“Arsenal Women was born out of the community. We were invested in early and given the safe space to do what we wanted to do. We’re a product of that and look how it’s turned out. The fact we offer this opportunity for young girls today makes me proud.”
Arsenal in the Community, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, delivers football and education programmes aimed at keeping girls in the game, with research suggesting girls going through secondary school are twice as likely to drop out of playing sport compared to boys at the same age.
Premier League Kicks and Premier League Inspires are two of these programmes, funded by the Premier League and delivered free of charge for girls aged 8-18 by Arsenal in community spaces and schools across north London.
Our summer signing Mariona Caldentey, on her first visit to a community programme as an Arsenal player, added, “It’s a nice experience for them, but also for us. We feel like kids again.
“Playing football is about having fun, and that’s what’s happening here. Learning the values of sport – that’s something so positive football brings to us all.”
We recently published their first economic and social impact report, which showed the club delivers 140,000 hours of community activity every season, reaching 5,000 people a week.
Jack Ironside, Senior Social Inclusion Manager at Arsenal, oversees many of these projects, which focus on bringing a sense of belonging to all those the club connects with in the community.
Speaking about Kicks and Inspires, Jack said the goal was “to increase the number of girls playing sport, and keep them in it – especially as they go through secondary school.
“For us this is about creating a safe space for girls to play and feel like they belong in the game. Events like this where their heroes and role models come down and really connect with them gives them an extra boost. These are the memories that live with you forever.”
“Our community team turns 40 in 2025 and our commitment to the local area has always been for the long-term. These sessions are proof of that, using sport as the hook to engage young girls, but supporting them off the pitch too through education.”
Sakinaah Boateng is a former Arsenal Kicks participant now studying at UCFB Wembley. She has been on her own journey through the game.
“I used to play on Arsenal’s Kicks programme when I was young. But in my second year of college, I would say I fell out of love with the sport, as it became much more serious, and I lost that joy.
“It was only when I came back down to a Kicks session to help run them with the coaches that I re-discovered that passion. It was a space to be free and to connect with the girls and remind myself of why we play football.
“Today I’m studying and hope to go into broadcasting in the future, continuing to be part of the sport I love.”
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