Skip to content

'Don't be ashamed of the fact you enjoy football'

Nisha Patel
BBC News
BBC TV screenshot from the edge of a football pitch on which a training session is taking place. Female players wearing red bibs or yellow football tops are kicking the ball.BBC

Arsenal winger Vivienne Lia has a message for girls: "Don't be ashamed of the fact that you enjoy football.

"When you're younger, it is easy to fall into the shadows of the game, because you feel like you're a girl and you can't do that."

The 18-year-old, currently on loan to Southampton, believes Arsenal's grassroots initiatives are vital for encouraging girls into the sport.

The club marked the 40th year of its Arsenal in the Community programme with a report into its impact.

TV screenshot of Vivienne Lia, a footballer. She is standing by the edge of a football pitch on which a training session is taking place. It is dark and the pitch's lights are on. Vivienne is wearing a pale blue hoodie and a purple coat
Vivienne Lia urged girls not to "fall into the shadows of the game"

Arsenal was the first club in the country to establish a community programme and now runs about 40 different weekly initiatives, benefiting more than 5,000 people.

Its girls football programme is one of its most successful initiatives, providing free weekly training and mentoring.

TV screenshot of Sakinah Boateng, a former footballer. She is standing by the edge of a football pitch on which a training session is taking place. It is dark and the pitch's lights are on. She is wearing a pale brown hoodie and a cream top
Sakinah Boateng said football changed her life for the better

Sakinah Boateng, 21, joined the programme when she started secondary school.

Through her training sessions with the club, she discovered a passion for sports broadcasting which she is pursuing with the help of Arsenal.

"It's changed my life," she said.

"I don't play football properly any more, but I've gone into a different avenue. To have that support from the Arsenal community from then to now is unmatched."

Lionesses captain and Arsenal defender Leah Williamson said it was great to see so many girls enrolled on the programme, "but there is a long way to go.

"There are still some cultural barriers, some expectations placed on girls on what they are meant to be doing.

"Social norms are the biggest things we need to change."

TV screenshot of Leah Williamson, a footballer. She is standing by the edge of a football pitch on which a training session is taking place. It is dark and the pitch's lights are on. Leah is wearing a pale blue hoodie and a purple coat
Leah Williamson, who plays in Arsenal's first team and is England captain, said female players were challenging social norms

Arsenal contributed £616m to the UK economy in the 2022-23 season, according to the club's Economic and Social Impact Report. Of that sum, the borough of Islington benefited by £425m.

In addition to the money generated by the club, more than 4,400 jobs in the UK and 1,600 local jobs were supported in that one season alone.

Local business also saw a positive economic benefit, with more than 1.6m supporters visiting the Emirates Stadium.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]

More on this story
Related internet links