Tuesday 9 May 2017

SSE: The Energy Behind Women's Football

SSE Women's FA Cup

Leo has recently been expressing an interest in learning to play football, at almost 6 years old I think that this is fantastic, and it is something that I have really wanted to encourage and nurture as I feel like this would be an incredibly beneficial experience for him. I have been researching local teams that I could enrol Leo into so that he can learn the rules of the game, get some experience out on the pitch and playing as part of a team. By chance I got talking to another Mum who was also trying to find a team for her child, only she was looking for a girls team for her daughter, and she told me just how difficult that task was turning out to be...

In the small town where I live in Worcestershire, there aren't as many women's football teams, and there are even less opportunities for younger girls to get involved in training or as part of a girl's team. According to recent research by the Football Association, only 36% of girls aged 10-16 play football, compared to 83% of boys. It also found that 42% of girls aged 10 who don't currently play football would like to.

Women's football although gaining momentum, is still not on a level peg with the male's equivalent and although I was aware that it wasn't as publicised as the male teams, I had never once stopped and thought about how accessible it would be for younger girls who wanted to get involved in a football team.

SSE Women's FA Cup

Being a parent in 2017 means that we need to be educated in gender equality, whether we are parents to boys, girls or even if we have one of each, because believe it or not, gender inequality is a still a thing, even today, and it really does affect us all. 

I for one would love to see this change, I have been looking into the fantastic sport that is Women's Football and it has been incredibly enlightening to see just how far it has come over the years and one of the biggest waves forward for the sport has to be the generous sponsorship from SSE, who are one of the UK’s leading energy companies and supply energy to around 8.21 million people throughout Great Britain and Ireland. 

Back in June 2015 SSE announced a four year sponsorship deal for the largest cup competition in women's football - The SSE Women's FA Cup. This partnership sends a precise and strong message to the world, and it is helping to strip away barriers and helping women and girls to reach their fullest potential in Women's Football.

This is a really exciting time for the sport, and SSE have got involved because of their firm beliefs that everyone deserves the same opportunities, regardless of gender. Every girl and every boy have the right to discover new skills and confidence, the opportunity to make lifelong friends, the opportunity to be inspired and the opportunity to walk out in front of a passionate crowd at Wembley Stadium. 


SSE Women's FA Cup

SSE are the energy behind women’s football and they are creating more and more opportunities for women and young girls to get involved, and it is really making a huge difference at all levels of the game, whether it is getting girls involved in coaching sessions in local parks or playing the big league at the SSE Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley!

The below film demonstrates three separate stories playing out in parallel across one day – A football match at Wembley. Each of the stories shows the shared experiences of girls involved in the game from grassroots right through to the elite. Despite all these stories taking place at different levels of the game, they are all brought together by their love for football. It showcases the power of the game and the opportunities it provides women, at every level.




Some of the way's SSE support Women's Football

- Dad's and Daughters

The Dads and Daughters campaign aims to get more young girls to start playing football with the support of their dads. It celebrates fathers around the country who have played a major part in encouraging their daughters to get involved in the sport. 


SSE Women's FA Cup

- The FA & SSE Link Up

The recent launch of SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Clubs will provide girls aged 5-11 with regular opportunities to play football and take part in organised sessions in a fun and engaging environment created exclusively for girls. SSE continue to show their commitment to increasing participation in the women’s game through this new initiative. The clubs will run from spring through summer on a weekly basis and aim to provide a fun and safe space for girls to learn the game and make friends
- SSE Women's FA Cup Final: Kids go Free
The SSE Women’s FA Cup Final 2017 will be played at Wembley Stadium connected by EE for the third year running on Saturday 13th May 2017. The FA’s partnership with SSE means that all children can attend The Final for free. 

It has been really interesting reading more into the powerful sport that is Women's Football, and I am so pleased to see that the sport is becoming more accessible, and as for girls wanting to get involved, there has never been a better time to put on your boots and kick a football.

SSE Final Ticket Competition

If you would like to go along to the SSE Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley this Saturday (13th May 2017) then keep on reading because we have 5 tickets up for grabs so that you can take your whole family along!

It's a great chance to go along and cheer on Birmingham City and Manchester City as they go head to head for the first piece of silverware of this season! It is set to be a great turnout and I can only imagine that the vibe will be something to remember!

The winner will be announced before lunch this Friday 12th May 2017. As we have a pretty tight time frame to play with, I will get an email out to the lucky family as soon as the competition is drawn, and I will need a reply within a quick time frame so that I can make sure that the tickets are ready to collect at Wembley on Saturday 13th May 2017.

All you need to do is enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

12 comments:

  1. Women's football is getting more mainstream, and can be better than the men, as you don't get all the play acting, where they go down as if they have been shot, the women just get up and get on with it.

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  2. I love watching the ladies,and would be so excited to see them live at Wembley.

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  3. It would be great to see the ladies play at such a prestigious stadium.

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  4. I very often watch the ladies football on tv, they are very impressive, so I would love to see them live and at such an iconic stadium.

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  5. Ladies football is becoming more prevalent, It would be wonderful to see them at the National Stadium.

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  6. I really enjoy watching the ladies teams, they play some really good football, and to be at Wembley, it would be a great bonus.

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  7. Would like to see Bham City WIN! :)

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  8. would love to see birmingham city win

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  9. My twin girls play football and would love to go watch the ladies play!

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  10. I was at the women's cup final game with my kids last year and it was a thrilling-yet very civilised game and I would love to go again!

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  11. Have seen a few of the ladies internationals, womens football is so much better then the mens... no diva's or throwing themselves to the floor lol! (not yet anyway!)

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  12. ladies football is just so much better to watch, less diva's!

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