Girls ‘ready to play’ football, but still held back

Almost half of women and girls (46%) in the UK say they have felt judged or excluded for wanting to play football.

The figure comes from a survey of 2,000 females, conducted on behalf of small-sided football specialist, Powerleague.

It shows that, while 48% of those surveyed feel confident in their football skills, emotional hurdles like fear of judgement and practical issues such as lack of local spaces continue to limit access.

The research, which was conducted to coincide with the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025, shows that football is now one of the most widely played sports among the 2,000 women and girls surveyed, yet 25% have experienced sexist comments, and only 15% believe football is equally welcoming to both genders.

Despite barriers, confidence levels across football skills were high among those surveyed. Almost half said they were confident in passing, with other common responses including shooting (41%), dribbling (36%), tackling (30%) and goalkeeping (29%).