Season of success and growth for Female Football Pathway

Foundation of Light’s women’s and girls’ football programme enjoyed a season of unprecedented development and success in 2024-25.

The latest campaign saw the launch of new sessions covering several age and ability groups as well as development on the pitch.

With interest and participation in women’s football on the rise, the existing sessions struggled to keep up with demand, with just two pay and play Wildcats sessions for girls aged 5-11-years-old, two sessions for the Emerging Talent Club (ETC) and two for the Player Development Centre (PDC).

A big priority for the Foundation of Light was to bridge gaps in their Female Football Pathway.

The launch of the Little Lionesses Programme (for 3-5-year-olds) and Future Felines (11-14-year-olds) offered pay and play football and coaching for females at the start of their footballing journeys and those looking to keep playing into their teens outside of the invite-only programmes.

This allows Sunderland AFC’s official charity to provide opportunities for girls across all age groups to take part in football – whether they’re looking to just participate or to perform at the higher levels.

The Foundation has launched a Little Lionesses session at the Beacon of Light, a Wildcats session has been added in County Durham, and a Future Felines in Sunderland – expanding the organisation’s offering beyond Sunderland.

Alongside the new girls’ football programmes, this summer’s Foundation of Light holiday courses include more girls’ football sessions than ever before. Find out more about our summer holiday offering – Click Here.

The development of the girls’ programmes has coincided with some great success on the pitch.

Foundation of Light’s women’s scholarship teams both had impressive seasons, the National Football Youth League Premier Division squad finishing third while the Championship team finished fifth.

Both teams also enjoyed cup runs making the quarter-final (Premier Division team) and last 16 (Championship team) of their respective competitions. They will look to build on this success next season, with 30 of the 38 scholars returning for another year alongside new recruits to make up a total of 49 women’s scholars across the two teams.

Two players representing Sunderland AFC made the National Football Youth League’s all-star teams while Libbie Trainor and Eve Jones were among their league’s top goal scorers.

With Emily Cassap, who progressed through the Foundation of Light’s pathway, signing her first professional contract with Sunderland AFC in May, there is no shortage of inspiration for those on our programmes.

This was reflected in June’s pathway trials where 451 girls took part across U10 to U16 age groups, with 361 offered a place at an appropriate step on the pathway – from the Player Development Club to the Emerging Talent Centre and Girls’ Academy.

Of the players currently within the Foundation’s pathway, 25 were invited to move up to a different group after being selected to take part in a trial for further talent ID on the back of their performances in 2024-25.

Women and girls’ football on Wearside continues to go from strength to strength.