More than 50 girls joined former Tottenham Hotspur Women's player Chloe Morgan at a special Premier League Changemakers event last month as part of the Premier League's commitment to supporting women and girls.
Held at the National Football Museum, the event enabled 12–15-year-olds from 27 professional football club charities come together to discuss equity, equality and allyship in the game, as well as the significance of women's items in the museum's Football Heritage Collection.
To demonstrate their commitment to supporting gender equality, the event culminated in the unveiling of Morgan's 2017 Tottenham Hotspur Women's shirt, signed by all Premier League Changemakers event participants.
The shirt, which will be embellished with the word 'Changemakers', will be added to the museum's Football Heritage Collection and will go on display later this year.
"Premier League Changemakers is absolutely incredible," Morgan said. "We see these inspirational girls representing football club charities from all across the country come together to make a difference. It’s really empowering.
"These girls are the future. This event is telling them, your voices matter, your experiences matter. To have these future leaders add their names to my shirt and create a piece of history that will go on display in the National Football Museum is unbelievable."
Launched in 2021, Premier League Changemakers is delivered through the national Premier League Kicks and Premier League Inspires programmes and provides opportunities for girls and young women aged 11-18 to access leadership training alongside sport and physical activity.
The programme also encourages participation in gender equality and mental health social action projects, to increase participants' confidence and support the development of vital life skills.
Forty-three professional football club charities across the Premier League and English Football League currently deliver the programme. More than 1,200 girls and young women have engaged in Premier League Changemakers to date.
"With Premier League programmes supporting more than 80,000 girls and young women every year, we know how important it is to promote equality, and champion females, both on and off the pitch," said Premier League Charitable Fund Chief Executive Ruth Shaw OBE.
"The Premier League Changemakers event offers a fantastic opportunity for girls and young women from across England and Wales to explore the history and future of women’s football in this country and supports the development of personal skills and positive attitudes that are crucial for leadership and future careers."
As well as demonstrating their commitment to take part in role-play and screen-printing workshops devised to highlight inspirational role-models and support the development of key leadership skills, supporting gender equality, participants also had the chance to explore items from the museum’s collection.
Highlights on display included, Anita Asante's 2011 England shirt, Fran Kirby's UEFA Champions League shirt from Chelsea Women's 22/23 campaign and the official LEGO UEFA Women's Euro Trophy from the Lionesses' 2022 triumph.
"It was brilliant to welcome so many young people to the museum, to engage and empower them through our collection and the creative power of football," said Dr. Gabrielle Heffernan, Director of Content at the National Football Museum.
"Inclusion and equity across the game is incredibly important to us as we strive to achieve 50 per cent female representation across our content and programming. Congratulations to all the Changemakers and future leaders for a truly inspiring day."
Premier League Changemakers is just one example of the Premier League's commitment to providing better accessibility and opportunities for girls and young women and enhancing player development from grassroots to the elite game.
The League is also investing £21m into women's and girls' football over three years. This includes £5.25m to more than double the number of girls (to over 4,200) on the pathway to professional football through Emerging Talent Centres.
Premier League Changemakers is funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund.