Non-profit month-long festival celebrating women and non-binary people in football to be held across the capital in June and July
A series of ‘Festival of Football’ events will be held in London around this summer’s World Cup in France, celebrating women and non-binary people in the game.
Venues in the capital including The Book Club, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, and Queen of Hoxton will help to raise the profile of professional and grassroots football for womxn, staging a series of matches, sporting and cultural events in June and July, at a time when the UK is witnessing a meteoric rise in participation and interest.
The entire FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament will be screened at The Book Club in Shoreditch, with £5 cocktails and sweepstake games galore, providing the perfect opportunity for fans, newbies and lady-football curious to come, celebrate and get inspired to participate – regardless of age, gender or background.
Other programme highlights include:
- A 5-a-side tournament at Mabley Green in Hackney (June 9), followed by the screening of England vs Scotland at The Yard, Hackney Wick
- Panel discussions titled: ‘Football Fans – Who Are Ya?’ (June 6, Shoreditch venue TBC); ‘The Power of Football’ (June 12, Hoxton Sq Bar & Kitchen); ‘Womxn and Football – Levelling The Playing Field’ (June 23, Hoxton SB&K); ‘From Hackney Marshes to Wembley – Ensuring the whole game benefits’ (July 1, Hoxton SB&K)
- A 40+ Taster Day hosted by GoalDiggers FC (June 22, Arsenal Hub)
- An All Ages Taster Day (July 6, Westway Sports Centre, Kensington & Chelsea)
- Plus film screenings, photography exhibitions and much more – click here for details
The events series is being held in collaboration with Goal Diggers, an inclusive well-established football team with over 150 players of mixed ability women and those who identify as non-binary.
All events are non-profit, with proceeds going to partners Football Beyond Borders and AKT.
Hannah Wright of Goal Diggers said: “Despite becoming the top participation sport for girls and women in England in 2002, women remain significantly under-represented in professional football, executive and board positions in the industry and in mainstream media.
“This inequality is exacerbated by insufficient provision for women and the lack of accessibility and support for those opportunities that are available.
“While this is slowly improving, traditional views of women in football still remain and we hope to build a public forum for the discussion of the past and future of women’s football.”
For more information and to discover ways to get involved, visit the event website at www.thefestivaloffootball.com and get in touch with the organisers by email.
Follow the Festival on social via the Facebook page, and on Instagram.
You can also follow Goaldiggers FC on Twitter at @fc_goaldiggers.