Females from across the county will come together to celebrate International Women’s Day by playing different formats of the game during a day-long football festival.

Kent FA’s International Women's Day Extravaganza, supported by bank payment company GoCardless, will take place at the training ground of Women’s Championship club, London City Lionesses, on Saturday, 8 March, with youth sessions in the morning and a variety of senior women’s activities in the afternoon.

The day aims to celebrate the growth of female football in Kent and showcase the many opportunities available to play different formats of the game.

Rundown of the day's events

The extravaganza will kick off at 9am with a 45-minute session for SEND girls, followed by a Wildcats festival for girls aged five to 11, a Squad Girls festival for 12 to 14-year-olds and an under-16 girls 3-vs-3 festival. 

These sessions will involve fun training drills, covering skills such as passing and dribbling, and small-sided games for different age groups.

The afternoon will then incorporate three different formats of the adult women’s game - a women’s open-age festival, an over-30s tournament and a walking football festival.

From 5.30pm, there will be two classroom-based sessions females can sign up to attend - a Supporting Female Players CPD and a Stepping Over the Sidelines workshop. Any male or female can attend the CPD as it is around supporting female players. However, the Stepping Over The Sidelines workshop is for females. 

A female-only refereeing course will also run throughout the day.

Kent FA partner GoCardless tells us why they are in support of the event. “I’ve watched my daughter come through the ranks of the women’s game over the past 10 years from grassroots, academies and now in the National League of the women’s game,” said Catherine Birkett, Chief Financial Officer at GoCardless.

“Through thousands of hours on the touchline at training and matches, I’ve seen firsthand the power of football to build community, self-belief and lifelong healthy habits whilst also seeing the need for increased investment into the women's game at all levels. 

“This is why I and the whole team at GoCardless are so passionate about making sure women and girls have the opportunity to play. The extravaganza will be a great opportunity to not only celebrate what’s already been done to promote inclusivity in football, but also to give everyone more tools and resources to ensure we keep breaking down barriers.”  

The extravaganza is being organised by Rebecca Moore, Kent FA’s Women and Girls Development Officer, and is aimed at both women and girls who aren’t currently playing football but are interested in trying it and those who already attend sessions such as Wildcats and Squad Girls elsewhere.

Rebecca said: “This will be a pressure-free opportunity for women and girls to go out, get on the ball and have a bit of fun.

“There’s so much power in bringing everyone together in one venue to highlight and identify the areas of the game that are growing and evolving, using the training facilities of the London City Lionesses - who, along with Durham Women, are one of the highest-ranked standalone professional women’s clubs in the country.”

The event will provide an opportunity for female players who might be nervous or hesitant about taking up or getting back into football to experience a taster of a particular format of the game they might decide to then pursue at a club.

Rebecca added: “We know that sometimes going to a club for the first time can be a bit intimidating, so coming along to this event, where it’s an unfamiliar environment for everyone so everyone’s on a level playing field, is a great way to focus solely on just playing and enjoying the game as part of a group.”

For more information on the International Women's Day Extravaganza or to register to take part, email Rebecca Moore at Rebecca.Moore@KentFA.com

More Kent FA International Women's Day celebrations this week

The extravaganza, which takes place on International Women’s Day itself, will continue the momentum around celebrating female football gained throughout the first week of March, with the previous day, Friday, 7 March, marking the #LetGirlsPlay biggest ever football session, when schools across the country will be hosting football activities for girls.

On Monday, 3 March, Kent FA’s Female Volunteer Forum will also be celebrating International Women’s Day from 7pm until 9pm at Maidstone Village Hotel.

The evening, open to all females volunteering in Kent football, will involve a question-and-answer session with a panel of female guests, including referee Sophie Dennington and sports broadcaster Charlotte Richardson, as well as group discussions and a workshop on managing conflict led by Nicola Cross.

Register for the Female Volunteer Forum event

About GoCardless 

GoCardless is a global bank payment company with deep roots in the sport and health & wellness space. The initial idea for the company, founded in 2011, stemmed from a desire to make it easier for grassroots football clubs to collect membership fees. Today GoCardless serves over 7,000 organisations and has more than 75 partners across the grassroots, membership and health & wellness industry. 

Within the football space, GoCardless is a shirt sponsor for Chesham United FC Women. Last year it launched a partnership with Total Grassroots and Kelme to offer stress-free payments and new kits to grassroots football clubs.