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Hundreds of girls celebrate women's football

Sarah Turnnidge & Ana da Silva
BBC News, Bristol
BBC A group girls arranged in two lines in front of a goal, the front line kneeling and the second standing behind them. They are all smiling at a different camera to the left of the photographer, and there are rows of red stadium seating behind them. BBC
It is the eighth year the celebration has been held at Ashton Gate

Girls from schools across Bristol have come together to celebrate the opportunities football has given them to thrive.

Bristol City Robins Foundation, the official charity of Bristol City FC, invited all the girl school teams they support to take part in a tournament at Ashton Gate.

With the women's Euros tournament on the horizon and the Rugby World Cup set to touch down in Bristol hundreds of young people took part in the event on Monday.

Tania Broon, a teacher at City Academy in Redfield, said the girls involved with after-school football sessions had gained "so much confidence".

Tania smiles at the camera from behind large dark sunglasses. She has brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wears a rainbow lanyard and a white polo shirt with the City Academy logo on it.
Ms Broon said sport could be used 'so effectively' to build confidence

"These days I think it [confidence] is something people naturally lack a lot of and sport can be used as a tool so effectively.

"We just want to get people more and more involved so they can reap the benefits and take it into their wider life," Ms Broon added.

As well as encouraging personal growth, she told the BBC, football training sessions had also helped children from different year groups "champion each other".

Talia, who has blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, smiles at the camera. She wears a red City Academy polo shirt, which matches the bank of red seating behind her.
Talia said football had helped her meet girls from other year groups

"I've gotten to know a lot of girls in different years from me, otherwise I don't think I'd really have time to meet them," said City Academy pupil Talia, 12.

"I really like it [football training] because when you do something good everyone always notices, they're always there to hype you up," she added.

Mariam wears a red City Academy polo shirt, clear glasses and a black hijab. She smiles at the camera from the football pitch, which can be seen behind her.
'Practice makes perfect' said Mariam, 13

Her teammate Mariam, 13, also described the "nice" feeling of being supported by other people at training.

"Nobody is good at first," she said.

"I didn't really like the sport at all, I was hesitant to play but I was told I should so I just decided to give it a go.

"At first I didn't like it but it grew on me and practice makes perfect."

Grace, who has blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail, smiles at the camera. She wears a black Bristol City training top, and the Ashton Gate pitch can be seen clearly behind her.
Grace Phillips said sports programmes had helped children develop their attitudes as well as their abilities

It is the eighth year the Robins Foundation has held the Celebration of Sport event at the stadium giving young people they work with a chance to show off their skills.

Grace Phillips, the foundation's women's football lead said the progress made by participants had been "incredible".

"They're tactically improving, all of their abilities are getting so much better, but it's their attitude as well," she said.

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