BY IONA BENNETT
This Saturday, the sound of football filled the air in Shoreditch. Thirty-five teams of female, trans, and non-binary players gathered at Shoreditch Power league for the Girls United International Women’s Day Tournament to compete and celebrate football as a vehicle for empowerment, inclusion, and change.
The tournament has steadily grown in scale and significance in the seven years since its inception. Last year, it made national headlines, with coverage on Sky News and over 150,000 social media views. Yet, for Girls United, this event is just one moment in a much larger movement. Founded in Mexico in 2017 before expanding to London, the organisation is built on a simple but important belief: every girl, regardless of background, should have the opportunity to play football.
Photo By Paul Calver @calverphoto.
For the organisers, the tournament was the second event of the day. That same morning, Girls United had hosted a Play Like a Girl International Women’s Day event in Dulwich, bringing together 60 girls aged 5 to 12 for a session designed to introduce them to football in a fun, structured environment. Supported by London FA and Alleyn’s School, the event was a reminder that creating opportunities in football starts early.
Photo By Paul Calver @calverphoto.
And there’s more to come. This Friday, Girls United will run their Love the Game tournament, which will see 10 schools competing, continuing their work in ensuring that girls not only have access to football but the confidence to see themselves within it. Unlike today’s tournament, the organisation’s only adult event, these youth-focused sessions ensure that young girls engage with football from an early age. Across 60 sessions a week, the organisation provides coaching, school-based initiatives, and competitive league pathways. Love the Game operates in South London schools, introducing girls to football in an environment designed for development rather than exclusion. Play Like a Girl offers social football sessions in communities, bridging the gap between casual participation and competitive play. And for those who want to take the sport further, Girls United FC provides structured league teams, helping players transition into elite academies.
The need for these pathways is evident. While women’s football has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, breaking attendance records, drawing greater investment, and achieving ever-increasing media visibility, the grassroots level still tells a different story. Many young girls don’t see football as an option for them, either due to a lack of access or encouragement. Others struggle with limited facilities, financial barriers, or navigating outdated attitudes towards female participation in the sport. In order to try and combat these barriers, Girls United has a Community Pricing initiative, to ensure that anyone who wants to play, can play. The initiative is financed through fundraising and the donations of other parents, enabling the organisation to offer memberships from as little as £1 a year.
Through such schemes, Girls United attracts a diverse audience, united by their love of football and desire to play sports. This inclusive and encouraging atmosphere is what drew player-turned-coach Lulu Luxford to the club. Now 19, she started as a player at the very first Girls United London session in 2018. At 14, she began volunteering, helping coach at the weekend. With the organisation’s support, she has since gained referee and coaching qualifications, working with Girls United’s under 10s and under 11s to lead sessions multiple times a week.
“I think Girls United is such a unique environment,” she says. “It is really special”.
For players and coaches like Luxford, Girls United is not just about sport. It is about community and opportunity. The organisation doesn’t just get girls playing, it invaluable skills for life beyond the pitch, such as confidence, leadership, resilience.
These were on show at the tournament, watched on in the warm spring sunshine by a group of spirited spectators, lining the fences to support friends and teammates. The games were fifteen minutes and fast-paced, with the Tournify app keeping track of scores. Referees worked to manage the different competition groups: from first-time tournament players to seasoned footballers, everyone had a place.
The excitement continued off the pitch, with a fundraising raffle packed with prizes, including signed England and Arsenal shirts, football boots and coffee vouchers. Every ticket sold helped fund Girls United’s work. The organisation has ambitions to grow its work in both London and Mexico, ensuring more young players are both able to access the game, and are given the means to flourish within it.
Girls United’s reach extends beyond tournaments and football sessions, including organising educational talks in schools, and hosting events with stars like Chloe Kelly, focusing on body positivity. Football has long been a battleground for gender equality, and while progress has been made at the professional level, grassroots spaces remain vital in ensuring it is not just symbolic, but structural. Events like the Girls United IWD25 Tournament serve as a reminder: change doesn’t just take place in sold-out stadiums, but also on community pitches and in schools, where young girls take their first steps in the game. Girls United ensures that those steps lead somewhere.
To support or get involved, follow @girlsunitedfa.
Photo By Paul Calver @calverphoto.
