Schools in England will be able to access free resources and lesson planning tools with a female football focus from children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust (YST) working in partnership with The FA.

Following increased investment into the women’s game, the charity has developed the Women’s World Cup School Resources as a trusted partner of The FA to give more profile to the women’s game in schools and increase opportunities for young people to develop a love for football.

Ellen Falkner, Development Manager for Girls Football Programmes at the YST, said:

There is a real momentum building around the women’s game with more sponsorship and better media coverage. The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 is a brilliant opportunity to use the power of a major sporting event to inspire young people and ignite their passion for football, celebrate the women’s game, and give the Lionesses our full backing. We hope schools will join us in celebrating the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Research undertaken by YST late last year through its football programmes found that too few girls are given the opportunity to play football at school. This is despite 75% of girls taking up the opportunity to play football when they were given the chance.

The resources support the delivery of five weeks of activity in schools in the build up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 and encourage schools to hold their own football tournament.  

Developed so they are flexible, the cross-curricular resources cater for a wide variety of interests and age groups. Each week’s theme corresponds to one or more of the Lionesses’ values. The resources include an assembly/classroom presentation and activities linked to both the curriculum and personal development for primary and secondary school-aged students, with accompanying teacher guidance.

Schools can access the resources by visiting www.girlsfootballinschools.org. The YST’s National School Sport Week will also coincide with the FIFA Women’s World Cup taking place on 24 to 28 June. Download the poster here. 

Did you know?

Bestselling children's author Tom Palmer, author of popular football books including the re-booted Roy of the Rovers series, Foul Play and Football Academy, is writing a live story during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The story is designed to be read aloud in the classroom or at home, and follows events on and off the pitch as they happen.

You can find out more and download all of the updates here.