Did you know that women’s football has been played in the UK for over 100 years? Over this time the game has had its ups and downs but is now more popular than ever, with it now boosting the title of most popular female sport in Britain.

In England alone today there are over 3,500 womens and girls football teams in schools and clubs, and an estimated 45,000 under-16 players. There are 42 Girls Football Centres of Excellence mainly linked to men’s clubs, 20 academies and a fully-funded scholarship programme for elite England players at Loughborough University.

Research conducted on behalf of The FA had shown that 1.4 million girls in England were taking part in some sort of footballing activity on a regular basis in May 2002. (The FA)

Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland are comparable to England and have increasing numbers of players and clubs with females playing at a range of abilities and ages. In Scotland, participation numbers in girls' and women’s football continue to increase, and there are now over 57,000 girls in primary schools involved in the Association’s co-ordinated schools programme, which covers the whole of Scotland, as well as a further 17,500 involved in mixed Football at primary schools. This bodes very well for the future development of the sport. (SWFA)

How to get involved...

One of the best ways to get involved with women’s football and to find out what female football teams play in your area is to contact your nearest football development officer. By clicking on the links below you will be able to find out information about women’s football in your country: