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Thursday, November 27, 2025

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90% of schools in England offering equal access

A key target that forms part of the FA’s strategic ambition to provide equal opportunities for women and girls to play football has been achieved three years ahead of schedule, with the support of Barclays.

Originally set for 2028, the objective for 90% of schools to offer girls equal access to football through PE lessons at Key Stages 2 and 3 has already been met.

This follows a transformational period for girls’ football in schools, with 2.6 million girls now having equal access to football in PE – a 31% increase since the 2020/21 season. In that same timeframe, the number of schools offering equal access through the curriculum across Key Stages 1-4 has risen from 63% to 79%.

Since 2019, Barclays and The FA have worked to deliver crucial work to drive the equal access ambition, with bespoke interventions to empower girls to believe in themselves and grow their confidence and life skills through football. The Barclays Girls’ Football in Schools network, which began six years ago with just 3,000 participating schools, now reaches 90% of eligible schools nationwide with 20,202 signed up – an increase of more than 500%.

This cultural shift has also been driven by the Lionesses, whose success on the international stage has sparked a surge in demand from girls wanting to play. Their open letter to the Prime Minister following their historic home EUROs victory in 2022 played a key role in shaping Government discussions and driving forward policy change around the provision of girls’ sport in schools.

Stacey Mullock, Head of Development at The FA, said: “No girl should ever face barriers to playing football in school. That belief drove us to set ambitious targets and push for a cultural shift where girls have the same access and opportunities as boys. The progress that has been made wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Barclays and the Youth Sport Trust, as well as the tireless dedication of teachers across the country. But progress doesn’t mean the job is finished. There is still more to do – particularly in extra-curricular provision and at Key Stage 4 – to ensure every girl, at every stage, has equal access to the game.”

Tom Corbett, Group Head of Sponsorship and Client Experience at Barclays, said: “Football has the power to change young lives, and we’re immensely proud to work with our partners at The FA and Youth Sport Trust to deliver initiatives like Barclays Girls’ Football in Schools. Reaching our target is a moment of real celebration and reflects how far we’ve come over the past seven years. But we’re not stopping here – there’s still more to do to make sure every girl, at every age, has the chance to enjoy the game we all love.”

While the Key Stage 2 and 3 curriculum target has been met, there is more work to be done with extra curriculum provision. 83% of schools currently offer equal opportunities through extra-curricular clubs at these stages, with the aim for this to reach 90% by 2028.

There is also more work to be done at Key Stage 4 where many teenage girls stop participating in team sports due to barriers like confidence, body image, and negative perceptions. Currently, 68% of schools in the Barclays Girls’ Football in Schools programme provide equal opportunities for girls through extra-curricular clubs, with an ambition to reach 75% by 2028.

Barclays Football Ambassador Ian Wright said: “Today is a proper moment to celebrate. After the Euros I said if girls can’t play then what’s this all been for. This was never about girls becoming the next Lionesses, it was about normalizing girls playing football, just like boys do. It’s about equality. We set ourselves a big challenge, but we’ve reached it 3 years ahead of schedule. It’s down to The FA, to Barclays, all the brilliant schools and of course the girls, who only ever just wanted to play football.”

Barclays Football Ambassador Kelly Smith added: “When I started supporting Barclays Girls’ Football in Schools, it came out of frustrations I had growing up. There was no girls’ team for me to join, so I had to play for two boys’ teams. I was kicked off both of those for being a girl and I had nowhere to go. It’s really important to be the change you want to see and because of the efforts of so many people and the funding from Barclays and The FA, 2.6 million girls now have access to football in PE at school. Team sports build confidence and life skills, so it’s brilliant that everyone can now access the power of football if they want to.”