: The Radically Inclusive World of Englands Grassroots Womens Soccer Clubs #WorldNEWS Like many casual followers of sports in the U. K. , I was only faintly aware that England was due to host the Women’s

The Radically Inclusive World of Englands Grassroots Womens Soccer Clubs #WorldNEWS
Like many casual followers of sports in the U. K. , I was only faintly aware that England was due to host the Women’s Euro Cup—the main soccer tournament held between European nations every four years—this summer. Soccer was always an appealing concept, but not one I felt truly connected to—the dominance of the men’s sport, the boorishness of many fans and the absence of girls’ teams at school made it seem out-of-reach. Fast forward to today, and I’m a member of two grassroots teams. I’ve attended a quarter-final Austria-Germany Euro Cup game, and made a whole new group of friends simply by playing soccer. Watching the England Lionesses reach the finals this Sunday, when they’ll be playing in front of a sold-out 87,000-strong crowd at London’s Wembley Stadium, has made it even more memorable.
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And my experience is far from unique. The tournament has coincided with a continued surge in grassroots women’s soccer participation. For many, it’s the first time they’ve ever kicked a soccer ball. For others, it’s a welcome return to a sport they abandoned as a teen given the absence of women’s teams. Tired of feeling excluded from mainstream soccer culture, these amateur players aren’t seeking to emulate the men’s sport. Instead, they’re creating radically inclusive spaces open to everyone irrespective of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity—many players see these spaces as a safe haven at a time when transgender rights are under increasing attack.
Read More: How Trans Sports Bans Became Part of the Conservative Movement
After several waves of COVID-19 and nationwide lockdowns took her away from the sport, Helen Hardy decided in March 2021 to set up a soccer team in north-west England that would prioritize the wellbeing of women and non-binary players. “I wanted to create a space thats really fun, where friendship and community is at the center—and football is kind of secondary,” she says. (In the U. K. and virtually everywhere else, the sport is called football. ) Now, just over a year after Manchester Laces was born, the club has some 400 players. “We’re there for the lost generation, as I like to call it, the people that didn’t have access to football growing up,” she says.

Courtesy Lucy BlackmanThe Manchester Laces
This “lost generation” of female soccer players in England was no accident. In the early 20th century, women’s soccer was growing in popularity, as suffragettes and war-time munitions factory workers found freedom and camaraderie in newly established teams.

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