International Women's Day: Girls football at Palace
As we celebrate International Women's Day, we're taking a look back at what we've achieved with women and girls football this season and highlight our free sessions available for all ages and abilities in south London.
At Palace for Life, we have been providing free football sessions for young people in south London for over 15 years, and have been lucky enough to work with some of the best female coaches in the game. All coming from a range of backgrounds and experiences, Palace for Life coaching staff have the skills and experience to breathe life into any session and inspire the next generation of budding female footballers to get involved in south London.
Palace for Life is all about using the power of sport to help change the lives of young people for the better – our sessions aim to inspire young girls to engage with football, develop fundamental skills, learn new things and create the Foundation for a lifelong love of the game.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re taking a look at all of our free women and girls football sessions that are available for all ages and abilities. Our free weekly sessions are a great way to make new friends, stay fit and improve skills under the guidance of our highly trained coaches.
So far this season we have:
- Had 308 girls attend our free Premier League Kicks sessions
- Launched a brand new, free girls session at the Crystal Palace F.C. Academy
- Supported 90 women in fighting social isolation through our Palace Connectors programmes
- Engaged 90 girls at our Get Involved Asian Community Engagement programme
- 74 talented footballers have attended our girls Player Development Centres
A saturday session in full swing
Available sessions:
Saturdays
Free football sessions for girls aged 5 – 11
- Ages: 5 – 11
- Location: Heavers Farm Primary School, 58 Dinsdale Gardens, London SE25 6LT
- Time: 9:30 – 11:00
- Booking link: Palace for Life Soccer Schools | Soccer Schools (sportsfusion.uk)
Mondays
Free football sessions for girls aged 11 – 18
- Ages: 11 – 18
- Location: Selhurst Sports Arena, Dagnall Park, London, SE25 5PH
- Time: 16:00 – 17:30
- Booking: No booking required- just drop in! For more information, email community@palaceforlife.org
Thursdays
Free Women’s Walking and Women’s Recreational football for those aged 18 +
- Ages: 18+
- Location: Crystal Palace F.C. Academy, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, BR3 1NZ
- Time: 20:15 – 21:30
- Booking: Contact roxannebennett@palaceforlife.org to book on
Fridays
Free football sessions for both boys and girls at the Crystal Palace Academy – ages 10 – 16.
- Ages: 10 – 16
- Location: Crystal Palace F.C. Academy, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, BR3 1NZ
- Time: 19:00 – 20:30
- Booking: No need to book – just drop in! For more information, email community@palaceforlife.org
The Palace Women’s Walking football team
We also offer free women’s walking football sessions for those 18 and over, so you can stay active and enjoy the beautiful game at a more relaxed pace. And, we have a number of success stories from our participants, such as Premier League Kicks participant, Ceren, who found her passion for football and even became a leader among her peers in encouraging more girls to play.
‘If being a pro footballer doesn’t work for me, I want to get into coaching so I can show girls it’s not just the boys who can play, we can play too’. To read more of Ceren’s story click here.
We also run paid-for, girls-only Soccer Schools during the school holidays, which provide a fun and enjoyable experience to learn new skills, play in competitions and make friends. Children on our Soccer Schools will be coached by FA and UEFA licenced coaches with vast and different areas of expertise. For more information, and to book on our latest available courses, please head here.