Part of the LCR Impact Stories series, designed to amplify the great work being done by organisations across the city region.
The Women’s Euros 2025 brought the female game into the mainstream spotlight – and Liverpool County FA (LCFA) is making the most of the momentum to change grassroots football across the city region.
Here’s how LCFA helped more women find their place on the pitch.
When the final whistle blew at the 2025 Women’s Euros in Switzerland, the anticipated surge in girls wanting to play football happened as expected.
But what caught LCFA by surprise was the unprecedented demand from adult women.
For decades, historical barriers had kept women on the sidelines, but the new visibility of the professional game sparked something in many across the Liverpool City Region (LCR).
“There have been barriers along the way in the past,” explains Ellie Fox, Football Development Officer for Women and Girls at LCFA. “That exposure to the game allowed others to feel seen and heard and be like, ‘Yes, I can do this, and I want to get back involved.’”
Rather than pushing these women into existing, highly competitive structures, LCFA actively listened to what the community really wanted.
They set up development forums and forms to gather feedback, realising that to keep women and girls playing, the offer had to be entirely person-centred. Crucially, they also needed options that fit around demands such as childcare and varying fitness levels.
In April, as a result of their learnings so far, LCFA launched a new walking football provision. Before finalising the details, they sat down with the interested players and simply asked, “What would you like this to look like?”
The result is a thriving monthly walking football league featuring nine teams and over 70 women.
The provision has been formally integrated into the wider ‘She Inspires’ league, ensuring the sessions felt like part of a larger movement rather than an isolated kickabout.
The most remarkable part is the walking football league’s age range: from 35 right up to 75. Women who had not laced up boots in decades, or who had never been given the chance to play at all, are now regular fixtures on the pitch.
The joy of movement here is palpable, providing a safe and highly inclusive space. “I’ve had a lot of ladies come to me saying that they’re so grateful for the opportunity to be able to play,” says Ellie. “It shows how important it is to provide an inclusive and safe space to be able to enjoy the game and be involved.”
“We do it because it’s football for all, and we want to ensure everyone is included.”
That confidence on the pitch is spilling over into other areas. Women who joined through walking football or other recreational programmes are now stepping forward to ask about refereeing courses and coaching badges, securing their space in the wider footballing community.
Historically, many grassroots clubs in the region operated without any female provision. Changing that has required a significant cultural shift.
LCFA is proactive in challenging the status quo, particularly through its Equal Game workshops and rigorous club visits. Working across the city region, LCFA helps to guide clubs on how to create welcoming environments for female players.
They also tackled one of the most persistent, yet rarely discussed, barriers: female health.
By leaning into the FA’s new Female Health Hub as part of England Football’s Made for this Game campaign, LCFA is actively educating coaches, players, and parents across the city region. They are normalising conversations around female health to ensure biology is never a reason to stop playing.
Now, instead of clubs saying, “We don’t cater to women,” they are actively approaching LCFA to ask how they can start.
The approach is person-centred, but the reach goes far beyond individuals. Thanks to targeted and consistent efforts to open up opportunities, there are now 6,200 women and girls playing football across the city region.
To support this, LCFA continues to focus on a few key structural pillars:
For providers across the city region (and beyond) wondering where to start, Ellie’s advice is practical and person-centred.
“Always give it a go,” she says. “Even if you get one person attending your session, that’s success. It’s definitely quality over quantity. If you can say you’ve impacted at least one person’s life, that’s a massive win.”
LCFA continues to learn as they grow. They are heavily reliant on the parents, volunteers, coaches, and participants who make grassroots sport happen, recognising that the county FA is there to steer, but the community is the driving force.
The primary lesson remains simple: go to the community, ask them what they need, and build the structure around their answers.
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