Talent Inclusion Programme with Stoke City provides participants with the opportunity to play regular football.

As England progress to the last four of the European Championships after beating Spain in extra-time last night, we take a look a how our Talent Inclusion programme is helping girls, regardless of their background to become the next generation of Lionesses.

The Talent Inclusion programme ensures that through existing community activities, female participants with potential can be identified and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway. The programme is specifically run by EFL Club Community Organisations, who engage with young girls from low social economic communities and underrepresented groups, and looks to refer talented players who may not access traditional talent pathways due to social class, ethnicity and demographic.Stoke City Community Trust have been one of 34 EFL Club Community Organisations (CCOs) running the EFL Talent Inclusion Programme.

Stoke-on-Trent is characterised by high levels of deprivation. The Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019 rank Stoke-on-Trent as the 13th most deprived local authority (out of 317) in England. Over half of areas in Stoke-on-Trent (51%) are classified among the most deprived 20% in England, and approximately one-third of areas (32%) fall in to the most deprived 10%.

As we don’t wish to stigmatize anyone because of where they live, we have kept this story anonymous.

Football once was associated with negative emotions for this participant that would often surface as anger however it has now become an important part of her life allowing her a release from life.

The participant lives within Stoke-on-Trent among the 10% most deprived areas and without the Talent Inclusion Programme she would not have been able to access the beautiful game.

She has recently lost her step-dad who she had a very positive relationship with and is still dealing with the grief and emotions that arises, something football has aided her with.  As well as emotionally allowing her to escape and express herself, football has developed the participant socially too mixing with a variety of people through the sessions Stoke facilitate.

Having first had contact with the participant since they started secondary school, Stoke were immediately able to identify the potential of the individual and invited her along to a Kicks Development Centre where she made the decision to pursue finding a team. At the request of her mum and PE teachers, Lucy (Stoke’s Girls and Women’s Football Officer) was able to direct the participant to a local club so that she was able to play regularly outside of the school setting and in a girls only environment alongside the mixed sessions. The participant was able contact a local grassroots club who invited her to training and she was officially be part of the squad from September 2022.

The experience playing with and against boys has meant the participant has strengthen her social skills as well as her footballing ability. Lucy, explained: “The boys really make an effort with her and that through strengthening her relationships with them she has been able to develop her footballing skills. She can now make decisions quicker as her technical ability has improved and she is much more physical now. I thoroughly enjoy watching her compete and enjoy herself.”

Nicol Meredith Project Manager of the Talent Inclusion Programme, comments, “This story is very typical of the type girl that the programme can help and one of 54% across the country that have so far been referred on the FA talent pathway by our CCOs. We know that talent is everywhere but unfortunately the opportunity isn’t.”

To find out more about the Talent Inclusion Programme visit: https://www.efltrust.com/talent-inclusion.