Foundation awarded 'Grow the Game' grant

Foundation of Light is celebrating after being awarded a Grow the Game grant which will help encourage more girls to play football. The £6,000 grant, awarded to the Foundation's Community Club by The Football Association Football Foundation and Durham FA, will provide a boost to female grassroots football through the creation of four new girls only football teams at under 8 and under 10 age groups. The funding will also allow new coaches to be trained with Level 1 and 2 coaching qualifications alongside first aid and safeguarding training as well as ongoing professional development, support and mentoring to develop themselves and their players.

We are delighted the Football Foundation and Durham FA have pledged their support to the Foundation's Community Clubs. The grant will not only help us give more girls the opportunity to get involved in football but will strengthen the Foundation's Female Player Pathway which offers exit routes into coaching, education and elite level sport.

Dominic Oliver, Foundation of Light Sport and Play Lead

Each player will receive weekly training at the world class Beacon of Light on Monday evenings and compete in the Russell Foster League at the weekend during the 2018-19 season. They will also be provided with a red and white matchday strip and training kit. England Women and Arsenal striker Danielle Carter, who has praised Grow the Game and the Community Club, added: "I would like to congratulate Foundation of Light's Community Clubs on working with the Football Foundation and Durham FA to secure a Grow the Game grant. "Playing in an all-female team from a young age was key to my development, so I am delighted that there will be more opportunities for women and girls in the local area and I wish the Foundation Community Club teams good luck in their debut season!" Grow the Game is a programme funded by The FA and delivered by the Football Foundation. It awards grants to grassroots football clubs wishing to create new teams, especially among under-represented groups. Foundation of Light's Women and Girls programmes provide opportunities for females of all abilities to play football through innovative sessions which emphasise the fun, social element of the game. For players who want to progress, there are opportunities to join the charity's Player Development Squads, Sunderland and Gateshead Girls’ Regional Talent Club and Football Scholarship, which offers a pathway to develop a career with Sunderland AFC Ladies and the potential to go on and represent England.