A charity football match aimed at making the game more accessible for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds will be held at a Croydon football and community centre co-founded by Stormzy next month.
The ‘Make Football Accessible’ 11-a-side charity match, organised by the non-profit organisation Girls United, will return for its second year to raise funds for the group’s ‘community pricing’ initiative, which allows girls to attend football sessions for free or for reduced rates.
The match, which will take place on October 11 at Merky FC HQ, is open to all adults regardless of gender or ability, with spectators also encouraged to attend.
Rachel Buchanan, the Brand and Partnerships Manager at Girls United, emphasised the importance of reducing financial barriers for young players.
She said: “The places where we offer our sessions are areas of multiple deprivation, so we do see that often these are players who receive free school meals and whose families otherwise wouldn’t be able to pay for their children to attend sessions.
“Whether it’s paying for the session itself or paying for equipment, we do anything we can to support them.”
The event raised £3,000 last year, which went towards allowing 1500 girls to access free or discounted football sessions.
This year, Girls United hopes to hit £7,500.
This is the first time the match is to take place at Merky FC HQ, which was opened by Stormzy and Adidas in May with the primary goal of creating more opportunities for young black people in football.
For Buchanan, Girls United’s collaboration with the centre felt ‘natural’.
She said: “Looking at Merky FC’s mission to break down barriers in football and create pathways for underrepresented communities, it really underpins the work that we do as well.”
Alongside running a football team, a more casual social football programme, Girls United also works with primary schools to foster an environment in which young girls feel encouraged to take up the sport.
These three programmes are spread out over the boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, and are accompanied by a number of other outreach and community events.
The organisation also operates extensively in Mexico, the country of its conception.
All images courtesy of Girls United, with credit to Verity McGuire.
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