Chelsea Foundation launches Inspire Her – a pioneering approach to girls’ grassroots football with support from Nike

The multi-year ‘always on’ programme will aim to push forward habitual change in 9- to 14-year-old girls, instilling long-term positive habits for those key years when girls typically drop out of physical movement, and beyond into early adult life.

Through Inspire Her, Chelsea Foundation with the support of Nike as Official Participation Partner will:

• empower girls in our local communities to play and love football

• inspire girls to pursue their passions on and off the field

• create the next generation of female change makers and leaders across the game

Research shows that the transition from primary to secondary school is key for young girls’ participation in football and wider sport, with 61 per cent of teenage girls feeling judged when doing sport. We know that a longer-term approach is needed to achieve deeper engagement in football.

To launch Inspire Her, Chelsea Foundation has released a film ahead of Chelsea Women’s game against Manchester City Women at Stamford Bridge this Saturday. The film features club captain and Foundation trustee Millie Bright and striker Sam Kerr, who have been appointed as ambassadors of Inspire Her.

Inspire Her, which will be celebrated at Saturday’s game, has been co-designed with insights from girls, teachers and experts.

Bright said: ‘I’m thrilled to be an Inspire Her ambassador. It shows what Sam and I represent and our values – I care deeply about the next generation, so I’m really proud Chelsea are leading the way in girls’ grassroots football.

‘I hope other clubs are inspired to also prioritise greater access into football for girls, as well as creating a community and safe place where girls feel confident to express themselves and be who they want to be.

‘Inspire Her gives girls the power and confidence to make their own choices on what they want from life: whether as a footballer, a coach, a referee or beyond. I’m very proud to be part of this journey and watch these girls become the next generation of Chelsea superstars.’

Kerr added: ‘Inspire Her is all about inspiring the next generation of girls, which is something Millie and I both feel really passionate about. I’m proud to be a part of changing the game for girls, and that Nike shares this mission as the programme’s Official Partner. It’s important that girls have people to look up to, whether that’s a footballer, or a sports director, or whoever it may be – someone for girls to be inspired by.

‘As an Inspire Her ambassador, I’m most excited to give back to the girls, and proud I can give back after all this game has given me. When I was young, I would’ve loved to have a programme like this. I love football, so I want it to be in the best hands possible, and these girls are the future of football.’

With out-of-town facilities inaccessible to many and consequently a further barrier to participation, Chelsea Foundation will engage primary and secondary schools that need it most in our local areas and commit to working with a cohort of girls from years 5 through to 9. The sessions will include football development and educational activity, with topics including wellbeing, exploring careers in football, and body confidence. These sessions will leverage the Nike Body Confident Sport resources and culminate in Inspire Her festivals, bringing girls together to connect across age groups and geographies at our Cobham training ground.

The festivals will include football competitions, creative workshops, educational activity and talks about career opportunities across the game. Throughout the programme, girls will have the chance to win a variety of prizes including matchday tickets to see Chelsea Women at Kingsmeadow and Stamford Bridge, open training experiences, and the opportunity to meet players and programme ambassadors.

Laura Cordingley, CEO of Chelsea Foundation, commented: ‘Chelsea Foundation is delighted to launch Inspire Her. Through this five-year programme, we will support the next generation of girls in our local communities to realise their potential both on and off the field. Inspire Her is built off the insights of girls, educators and local partners who have helped us form a programme we know will deliver real impact.

‘We are thrilled to have Nike onboard as our Official Partner and look forward to working with them to drive our shared ambition of empowering girls to play and love football, building healthy attitudes to physical movement as they progress into adult life.’

Dan Burrows, Global GM, Future of Youth Sport at Nike, said: ‘Nike is committed to powering the future of youth sport, because an active next generation means a healthier and more equitable future for all kids. We know girls face complex cultural and social barriers to getting, and staying, active so we are thrilled to partner with Chelsea FC Foundation to launch the Inspire Her programme and demonstrate our shared commitment to increasing girls’ participation in football.’