How Premier League Kicks Cup is helping the girls' game grow

The iconic St. George's Park was the venue this summer for the latest Premier League Kicks Cup national finals.

More than 170 young people from 23 professional football clubs took part in the Under-16 girls' tournament, which celebrates the work that Premier League Kicks delivers throughout the year, as well as shining a light on the Premier League's commitment to increasing opportunities for girls and young women to play.

More than 20,000 girls and young women took part in Premier League Kicks sessions for Season 2023/24.

Over 550 participants representing more than 70 professional football clubs were involved in regional qualifying tournaments in the hope of earning the chance to play in the tournament. At St. George's Park they wore their club's first-team playing kit while Premier League, EFL and Women's Super League match officials took charge of the matches.

As part of Nike's global commitment to expanding girls' access to sport, all participants were given a Nike Sports bra, helping to break down barriers to participation and ensure that no-one stops playing football because they don't have access to the right apparel.

Alongside the participant focused activities, representatives from professional football club charities, EA Sports, Barclays and the FA joined the Premier League and Premier League Charitable Fund to explore further opportunities to work together to increase access for girls into football activity and future footballing pathways.

We spoke to some of the people involved on that day to find out what the tournament and Premier League Kicks means to them. Here are their stories.

Aurelia, AFC Wimbledon

"Representing AFC Wimbledon is great. This is my first time at St. George's Park, I love the energy, the vibes, it's just fun. Everyone is supportive and there's a lot of sportsmanship.

"I've been with Premier League Kicks for a year now and I'm definitely more confident, on and off the pitch. I'm more verbal and I feel like I can really help others develop their football skills.

"A lot of my good friends I've met at Premier League Kicks. It's a really safe place, it's a good environment, all the people there are friendly, the coaches are nice and it really opens more opportunities to play outside of school.

"Premier League Kicks is a wonderful experience, I'd really recommend it. You meet new people and you can really develop your football skills."

Layla, Portsmouth

"Being a part of Premier League Kicks gives you a good opportunity to play football as well as pathways for the future.​

"Taking part in the Premier League Kicks Cup is really special because a lot of players don't have the chance to play at St. George's Park. I am so happy to be here. When we drove up it felt like being a professional player.​

"It's so good to be playing on pitches where England players have been.

"Premier League Kicks is so much fun. They also highlight other options that are available. It gives you something to do and you're calmer knowing that you can go and play football."

Catherine Roper, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable (pictured left)

"We have a long established relationship with Premier League Kicks. The opportunities that it provides for communities, for young people in those communities, building up their confidence, looking at life skills, it's absolutely incredible.

"We know that the best way that we can keep young people safe is making sure that we can improve their trust and confidence in policing.

"Premier League Kicks works because it provides young people with skills and camaraderie to leave potentially some very difficult parts of their lives at the door to be able to come in and play football with other people.

"So from a policing perspective, why wouldn't we want to work with an organisation that's trying to empower young people? That partnership between the police and the Premier League is incredibly important.

"The opportunities are absolutely limitless. I feel it's a real privilege for policing to be invited to the Premier League Kicks Cup. There have been times when trust and confidence in policing has been shaken and it's policing's responsibility to rebuild that.

"To be given that opportunity to work with Premier League Kicks is a real honour and a privilege."

Zeamara, Oxford United

"It's cool being at St. George's Park, especially as the Lionesses get to play here. So being able to see the experiences they go through, training on the same pitch as them, is really good.

"Oxford is my home town, it's my local club, so being able to go along and represent them is an honour. You don't get an opportunity like this every day. This is a new experience, I'm meeting different people and playing teams I wouldn't normally get to go up against.

"The Premier League Kicks sessions are important, especially when you're learning about things from knife crime to keeping girls safe in sports. It's so informative."

Missy Bo Kearns, Aston Villa Women

"Seeing so many girls here, there's a sense of hope and excitement because this is the next generation - there'll be a few girls who will probably be future stars for England. That's what's so exciting. There's so much talent here. It's a massive event and everyone is having fun. ​I want to join in!

"Being here I've realised how big the women's game has actually become and the importance of these things being in place so girls can have fun, express themselves, spend time with their team-mates and also get challenged in tournament football.

"Playing at such an iconic place as St. George's Park will be an eye opener for a lot of the girls. They might not get the opportunities to play at facilities like this. It might give them that inspiration to keep working hard and trying to progress."

Eva Eggington, Nottingham Forest Academy Foundation Phase Lead (Operations) and Coach

"It's vitally important to make sure that football is accessible for girls. It's being able to open up those doors and getting them into a setting that they feel comfortable. They might not quite know the skills, the tactics or understand the game as well but they feel valued, included, and part of a group that want to learn and improve.

"The ones that want to excel can progress on through the relevant avenues and programmes. The ones who just want to play can develop that love for the game and become the next role models, volunteers and community leaders within their local areas.

"There's a lot that the Premier League does for women and girls football. There's a great opportunity and community outreach that the Premier League has, that probably not a lot of other companies have, to be able to get girls interested and keen and provide that engaging, open, accessible, friendly environment that they can thrive to be whatever they want to be.

"Premier League Kicks is a great initiative. The Premier League has that gravitas to be able to pull in those local communities and then engage community leaders to be able to introduce football in the right spaces for girls to participate in."

Melissa, Tottenham Hotspur

"Coming here and winning the tournament, I just feel proud of the whole team. We all worked so hard. To win here is a euphoric feeling. As a little girl playing football, it's a dream to come to St George's Park and to win a trophy where the Lionesses and men's team have been is incredible.

"These pitches are really lovely and playing here you feel the excitement of the Lionesses when they're training, when they're playing matches, it's amazing. It means giving everyone an opportunity to prove themselves.

"A tournament like this elevates women's and girls' football so much, especially with such a big name like Premier League Kicks behind it. It shows that women are just as good as men. Everyone can do what everyone else can do. It's just a matter of working hard.

"If you're thinking about going to Premier League Kicks, you should absolutely go for it. It's an amazing opportunity and you'll regret it if you don't. There are so many opportunities, so many different workshops, it's a lovely experience."

Marie Hourihan, Stoke City Women first-team head coach

"What an experience this is for all of the girls today. We're at the home and pinnacle of English football. I'm very big on aspiration and for these girls to be able to go home and say that they have played at St. George's Park, where Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were weeks before, is huge.

"There wasn't this kind of opportunity available when I started playing. That shows how much the game has progressed and also the level of investment that's gone into promoting the women's game.

"We're in a fantastic place right now and you're seeing organisations like the Premier League heavily involved in pushing the women's game and taking it to a new level, which is where the women's game deserves to be.

"The Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world; they are reaching every age bracket, girls and boys, getting into every home in the country, and that is massive in terms of promoting the women's game. It's fundamental to have the support of organisations like the Premier League.

"The outreach that Premier League Kicks has is enabling girls and boys to have free football, in a safe place. It's keeping them active which is good for their mental and physical wellbeing. They are also being exposed to positive role models, which is hopefully something they aspire to be. It's a full circle, not just from a football perspective but from a human perspective as well."

Sunny Gill, PGMOL referee

"Premier League Kicks is not just about playing football. Young people get resilience, discipline, it's about teamwork and communication. They learn all these skills just from coming to programmes like this, which will help them not only later on in life but will help them to develop as a person.  

"The participants are inspiring me because I'm here now looking at these programmes and looking at these players play and it inspires me to do better in what I'm doing because I'm doing something that maybe might help someone tomorrow. It's a privilege to be here.

"What I'll take away from this Premier League Kicks tournament is that you have got to stay humble. Even though I'm in a very privileged position now as a referee on the EFL and doing a Premier League game, you have to remember that every time you walk away from events like this, this is where we started. I started with this sense and feeling that I had dreams and aspirations.

"I'll go home thinking that I'll come back next year and do it again. So if I can help one person, I'd come back again next year to see if I can help someone else."

Salma, Leicester City

"Playing here where England and the England Lionnesses play is kind of surreal, I can't lie to you. You see it in videos and now you're actually here playing and having fun, enjoying it, doing what you love.

"I love how diverse Premier League Kicks is. Everyone can get involved, no matter what your skill level is, you have the opportunity to play and have fun.

"It's had a very positive impact on me. It's given me a place to play, a place to show everyone what I can do. I've made friends that I wouldn't have made if it wasn't for Premier League Kicks."

Victoria Williams, player services executive for the Professional Footballers' Association 

"The set-up is unbelievable. I love that there's games even if you don't make finals, it's all about giving the girls an opportunity to have some fun and play teams from all over the country. It's a great thing.

"It's fantastic in terms of the connections that you can build, the people that you can meet. Premier League Kicks goes so much further than just football, it allows people to get that confidence. It's amazing.

"Women's football is on an upward trajectory but accessibility is still quite a big thing. So for something like Premier League Kicks to be free and be safe spaces for people from all backgrounds, that is so important.

"It's important that everybody, no matter colour, creed, gender has access to sports. Premier League Kicks is about putting on suitable things that the community wants to get into. It's about having a safe space for young people to help give them some guidance and give them a stepping stone to maybe explore what they might want to do in the future. It might even be working in football.

"The investment is important because it allows people access into a sport and then to take it in whatever direction they want to take it in, whether that's on or off the pitch."

Premier League Kicks, funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, uses the power of football and sport to inspire young people to reach their potential, in some of the most high-need areas in England and Wales.

The Premier League is committed to providing better accessibility and more inclusivity for young female players and enhancing player development from grassroots to the elite game. Between 2022-25, the Premier League is investing £21million into women's and girls’ football.

Within this is £10.5m for the grassroots game including £5.25m for the FA's network of Girls' Emerging Talent Centres (ETCs) and £3m for a new strategy for the FA Women’s National League. The Premier League also provides wide-ranging support to women and girls through its facilities funding and community programmes.

More than half a million people have benefited to date.