The Talent Inclusion programme ensures that through the existing community activities delivered by 34 EFL Club Community Organisations (CCOs), female participants can be identified and referred to the FA Lioness Talent Pathway. Our CCOs are supported by an education and learning programme managed by the EFL Trust and supported by The FA.
Social class, ethnicity and demographics should not be a barrier to success.
Together, the EFL Trust and The FA recognise that social class, ethnicity and demographics should not be a barrier to success. For those girls showing potential, we will create a pathway from community to full England honours, with an educated workforce that identifies and supports potential. CCOs will be encouraged to develop their own programme plan based on their expertise of the local area, taking into consideration known barriers faced by young girls.
The EFL Trust CCOs work in some of the most deprived communities in England, where individuals and families experience challenges when trying to participate in sport and other activities. Female football has become a significant part of CCO delivery and engagement has hit an all-time high, given this, there is a considerable opportunity for potential to be identified and developed in the right environment. In particular, research from The FA has indicated that girls from low-socio-economic urban areas are not progressing into the talent system which is a lost opportunity for both young girls and the England team.
It is paramount to the future of England’s female football that the pathway is a system for all and the EFL Trust and The FA are committed to working collaboratively to be creative and inventive to achieve this goal together.
The programme is still in within its infancy and we are currently working with 34 CCOs who went through a vigorous selection process to ensure we could gain access to those girls in urban areas struggling to gain access to the pathway.
The ultimate goal is to unearth hidden talent who will one day put on that famous England shirt. We will work with The FA and the EFL Trust network to make this happen.