England Women have secured a multi-year funding package, worth over £600 million from the government, to provide girls with equal access to football in schools, as part of an all-sports pledge.
Aiming to build on the inspiration and legacy of England's triumph at Women's Euro 2022, the team sent an open letter to former prime ministerial contenders Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss - signed by all 23 players in the Euro winning squad - days after the historic win at Wembley Stadium on July 31, 2022.
Highlighting the lack of access girls have to sport in schools, the letter stated how only 67 per cent of all schools and 41 per cent of secondary schools offer football equally to girls in PE lessons and only 46 per cent of schools provide the same extracurricular opportunities as boys.
With the government's commitment to the programme, schools are expected to deliver a minimum of two hours of PE per week, while also ensuring girls have equal access to all school sport, including football.
The announcement comes on International Women's Day, where more than 200,000 girls will play football at school as part of the Let Girls Play 'Biggest Ever Football Session' initiative.
An announcement that will change women's football in England forever, and the start of something truly special. 👏Take it away, @leahcwilliamson and @lottewubbenmoy...#LetGirlsPlay | #IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/OQaOPr9u59March 8, 2023
Leah Williamson, England Women’s captain, said: “The success of the summer has inspired so many young girls to pursue their passion for football. "We see it as our responsibility to open the doors for them to do so and this announcement makes that possible.
"This is the legacy that we want to live much longer than us as a team. On behalf of all the Lionesses players, we'd like to thank our teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy as a driving force behind this transformational change.
"We couldn’t be prouder to stand alongside her and we all look forward to seeing the impact this legacy creates.”
Wubben-Moy added: “By making football more accessible to millions of girls across the nation, we have opened a crucial door for the growth of women’s football and women’s sport as a whole.
"I'm proud to be part of something that will live on for generations to come. This is just the beginning.”
Indeed, Williamson and Wubben-Moy immediately started discussing how to capitalise on the team's success last summer, using the victory parade in Trafalgar Square to drive the conversation.
Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, said: “As soon as the final whistle was blown at Wembley on 31 July 2022, the players turned their attention to what they wanted their legacy from the tournament to be and what’s been announced today is as important as anything that was achieved on the pitch in the summer.
“We’re delighted that it will be made clear to schools that they should offer a minimum of two hours of PE and they must ensure that girls have equal access to all school sport, including football."
