Penny Mordaunt

Minister For Women And Equalities, Penny Mordaunt MP Takes To The Pitch On The Eve of International Women’s Day To Champion Girls’ Grassroots Football

- Local MP and Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt visited a girls’ grassroots football training session in her constituency as part of The FA’s #FootballFootprint Campaign

- On the eve of International Women’s Day, Penny met with representatives from The FA and Hampshire County FA to learn more about local initiatives to get more girls playing football

- Penny was awarded a Grassroots Champion award in recognition of her support for the grassroots game in Portsmouth North 

 Ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday, Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Women and Equalities and MP for Portsmouth North visited Trafalgar School last week to learn more about the work The FA and the Hampshire FA are doing to widen participation and inclusion in grassroots football in her constituency.  

During the visit, Penny helped Year 7 and Year 9 girls run training drills and games. She was able to see first-hand the fantastic opportunities that investment at the grassroots level can create for girls. Penny was also able to meet the staff and volunteers that help make grassroots football happen in her constituency. 

The visit took place during an exciting time for women’s and girls’ football in England with the Lionesses preparing for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France this summer, and England recently having been confirmed as hosts for the 2021 Women’s UEFA European Championships. Recognising the opportunity that these tournaments represent for women’s and girl’s football, Penny took the opportunity to receive an update on The FA’s Game Plan For Growth imitative, which aims to double girls’ and women’s participation in football by 2020. 

In recognition for her support for her local grassroots game, Penny was awarded the FA’s Grassroots Champion award by Neil Cassar, CEO of Hampshire FA, making her an official FA Grassroots Champion.  

This visit is part of the #FootballFootprint Campaign which is being run by The FA, the not-forprofit national governing body for the game in England, in conjunction with local County FAs. The campaign is giving MPs an opportunity to meet with the army of workers and volunteers that make grassroots football possible at a local level and to visit showcase sites, initiatives and matches.  

Penny Mordaunt MP said: 

“I was delighted to visit Trafalgar School today and honoured to be recognised as an FA Grassroots Champion as part of their #FootballFootprint Campaign. On the eve of International Women’s Day, it was fantastic to see the work that Hampshire FA and Pompey in the Community are doing to make football fun and accessible for budding female players in the city.” 

James McDougall, Head at Corporate Affairs for the FA said:  

“It was great to see Penny’s support for women’s and girls’ football at such an exciting time for the women’s and girls’ game. Competitions such as the Women’s World Cup and the 2021 Women’s Euro Championships have the power to inspire a new generation of women and girls to get involved in the sport and The FA is committed to supporting them.” 

Neil Cassar, CEO of Hampshire FA said: 

“As International Women’s Day approaches, we were thrilled to show Penny some of the great work being done here in Portsmouth to support women’s and girls’ grassroots football and to increase participation in the local game. It is fantastic that Penny is so supportive of the work we do to deliver an inclusive game for over 3,000 amateur female players in the county.”