“That’s the one thing I’m most excited about”, says Francesca Brown, founder and CEO of Goals4Girls. “Everybody who is about to set foot back on that football pitch is going to realise how much they appreciate sport.
“I think the whole of the nation has really understood that whether it’s in your living room, your back garden or on that pitch, sport brings society together. You meet new people, you have new friendship circles, you create dialogues.”
It was these dialogues – idle conversations between girls in boots and shin pads – that drew Brown’s attention to the principle that is now at the heart of Goals4Girls: that in non-pressurised environments, young people express themselves more freely.
In the world of Goals4Girls, the football pitch is at once a sanctuary and an agent for change. Through the provision of fun and safe spaces, Brown’s organisation helps young women and girls explore a whole range of youth issues and barriers such as identity and careers, right through to body image and periods.
By nurturing these conversations and setting goals on and off the pitch, G4G creates meaningful long-term outcomes for girls aged 11-16 in marginalised communities, helping them to build social and emotional skills which ensure a successful transition into adulthood.
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