Following a report by BBC News, it can be revealed that the number of women and girls’ football teams across England has more than doubled over the last seven years.  

In total, 31 County FA's in England and the Channel Island provided the BBC with data that revealed a rise in the number of teams across their area particularly in the last three seasons. 

Overall, there has been an increase from 5,632 women’s and girl’s teams registered in the 2016-17 season to 12,150 women's and girls’ teams now being registered.

Nationally, the largest increases came in the 2022-23 season, when almost 1,500 new teams were registered in the immediate aftermath of England hosting UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and the subsequent success of the Lionesses who went on to win the tournament.

However, even before the UEFA Women’s EUROs kicked off, Sussex were leading the way in the growth of women’s and girls’ football and we were ranked in the top three performing County FA’s, having increased the number of teams from 162 to 489.

In addition to this remarkable growth, we are also currently the top performing County FA when it comes to the number of female Just Play providers.

As well as boasting the highest number of Just Play providers, we have seen a huge uptake in women’s Recreational Football in Sussex, including the introduction of two new monthly festivals.

This would not have been possible without the continued growth of female Referees or Coaches, many of whom are part of our Female Coaches Network, SO GOOD.  

Baroness Sue Campbell, the director of women's football at The FA, said “The power football has to change lives has been opened up to a brand new generation of women and girls over this historic period.

“Much of the transformational growth we have seen over the last seven years has been spearheaded by our trailblazing Lionesses, whose success in the home EUROs gave us an unprecedented chance to change the future of the game forever. 

The legacy of their victory has transcended society, turning inspiration into participation with more women and girls stepping forward to play, whilst leaving the game in a better place for the generations to come.”

Speaking on the news of the growth of women and girls’ teams in Sussex, our development manager, Jade Harker, said: “With each passing season it’s been brilliant to see more and more women and girls’ teams established across Sussex.

“Without a doubt the success of the Lionesses has helped supercharge this growth, and as we continue to build on their legacy, we look forward to helping more clubs bring their new teams to life.

"I'd also like to thank all our staff, past and present, for helping bring about this transformation of the Sussex football landscape!"

For further information on women and girls’ football please contact Development:

Development
T: 01903 766855
E: Development@SussexFA.com