Let the girls play! Breaking down barriers for girls through capacity building among grassroots football clubs

Grassroots football is playing a key role in the decision of kids and young adults whether to participate in sport or not. Most local clubs do not welcome girls to their sport activities explicitly, they do lack specific offers and are dominated by men and masculine norms. Even clubs who are willing to set up girls football teams are lacking know-how and capacity how to reach girls. This is why the participation of girls, and in particular girls with minority and migrant background, is very low. This exclusion leads to problems like marginalisation of girls, prejudices, low self-esteem, the feeling of not being welcome and health problems. Against this background the overall objective of GIRLZ is to encourage social inclusion and equal opportunities for girls in sport through capacity building and networking of local football clubs, through exchange and mutual learning and through facilitating easily accessible local girl’s football events. As sustainable outputs, a handbook to share good practice will be produced and the European GIRLZ Football Network will be initiated.The project aims at increasing the level of sports participation of girls (aged 5-14) by opening local grassroots football clubs for girls. The project is targeting in particular girls facing multiple forms of discrimination, with a focus on girls with a minority and migrant background. This very group is confronted not only with gender inequality but also with racism, xenophobia or anti-Semitism. These girls are amongst the most excluded and marginalised groups in European sport.The projects objective will be reached in three steps:Phase 1: Identifying and understanding barriers – Assessment of the status quo;Phase 2: Bringing girls and clubs together – Developing strategies to overcome barriers;Phase 3: Sharing good practice – Securing knowledge (Handbook) and initiating the GIRLZ Football Network.