The LFC Foundation have proudly launched Beyond the Goalposts at Anfield, a pioneering football initiative dedicated to supporting the wellbeing, confidence, and progression of Black and marginalised women and girls across football and sport.
Following an inspiring launch event featuring speakers like Ngunan Adamu, Natasha Dowie, Jess Clarke, and Phoebe Schecter, we sat down with Dionne Johnson, LFC Foundation’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Department Manager.
A vital voice within Liverpool City Region’s cross-system working group for gender equity in movement, physical activity, and sport, Dionne explains the roots of the programme, the importance of intersectional research, and how football can be a catalyst for wider community empowerment.
Launching its first evening and weekend workshops this August across Liverpool City Region (LCR), Beyond the Goalposts exists to tackle the disparities that prevent women and girls from fully accessing opportunities in sport. Rather than creating something entirely new, the initiative focuses on streamlining access to the LFC Foundation’s already successful offerings.
The programme is designed to be a conduit, bringing varied resources together under one roof. Whether a participant wants to play grassroots football, step into officiating, explore the business side of the sport, or simply benefit from leadership, mentoring, and health and wellbeing workshops, the space is built for them.
This programme forms part of the Foundation’s pledge to a wider LCR gender equity commitment. With dedicated, ongoing work in this area, the Foundation formally committed its voice and impact to the mission to get more women and girls moving in whatever way works for them.
The programme is designed to be highly flexible and responsive to the unique experiences and aspirations of the women and girls it serves.
Participants can expect a varied offering that focuses on long-term progression both on and off the pitch, including:
As Dionne notes, the ultimate goal is to give participants “the tools, the resources, the confidence, the knowledge, the links in with the communities and subject matter experts… to be the best version of themselves.”
The foundation of Beyond the Goalposts is built on stark data regarding participation drop-offs, alongside consultation with Women in Sport.
“They did some really in-depth work on reasons why Black girls were falling out of sport,” Dionne explains.
“The research that they did and the feedback they got was: ‘it’s not me, it’s you.’” In other words, it’s not a lack of passion for sport; it’s the culture and spaces within it that are causing drop-offs in participation for this particular demographic.
Dionne points to the example of the abuse of Jess Carter during the women’s Euros. “It was,” she says, “just really evident to me that we’ve got a long way to go, and that there are unsavoury elements of the men’s game seeping into the women’s game.”
That’s why positive programmes like Beyond the Goalposts are so important:
“I didn’t want that to put people off sport altogether, let alone football,” Dionne says. “I wanted to make sure that certainly regionally, we were able to let them know that they are welcome and football is for everyone and sport is for everyone.”
While the workshops span beyond traditional physical activity, football is the hook that draws the community in.
“It’s the power of the badge,” Dionne points out. “The draw, I think, that the club and the foundation have is second to none. The reach is phenomenal.”
As it stands, Beyond the Goalposts is embarking on its inaugural 12-month period. However, the vision for its legacy is already taking shape.
Taking the programme’s adaptable template as a starting point, Dionne hopes to inspire similar programmes designed with other protected characteristics in mind. She also plans to establish an ongoing leadership and football festival at Tiber in Toxteth, ensuring a consistent space for these vital conversations and activities.
When asked what advice she would give to other organisations in the sports sector looking to improve their offer for marginalised communities, Dionne’s message is clear:
“Don’t reinvent the wheel and do the research without a shadow of a doubt. Understand the demographic, and be brave. Because if it is Black women and girls, or if it is just women and girls, great, but understand those intersectionalities and the intricacies that go within that.”
Beyond the Goalposts is a growing movement grounded in community, representation, and opportunity. To stay informed about upcoming sessions, leadership opportunities, and ways to get involved, sign up to the interest list via the LFC Foundation website today.
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