{"id":47761,"title":"Having A Ball: This Fan Girl & Kitlocker.com Host Football Tournament","description":"This Fan Girl & Kitlocker.com welcomed 200 women & girls to play at St Georges Park, for their first grassroots football tournament - Having A Ball.","content":"<p><strong><span>This weekend <\/span><\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thisfangirl_\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span><u>This Fan Girl<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a><strong><span> and <\/span><\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/Kitlocker.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span>Kitlocker.com<\/span><\/strong><\/a><strong><span> welcomed almost 200 women and girls to play at St George\u2019s Park, the home of England Football for their first ever grassroots tournament \u2013 Having A Ball. Women\u2019s grassroots football has seen an explosion in participation following the Women\u2019s World Cup in 2019, with numbers of women playing higher than they\u2019ve been in any previous generation.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p><span>Supported by Nike, this year\u2019s tournament saw teams come from all corners of the UK including Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Leicester and Norwich \u2013 with Grenfell Athletic lifting the Winners trophy, Saltley Stallions taking the runners up, and Lincoln United winning the u14s.<\/span><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/54fqjhwtjhlipf5mifmo4d9sog0koce2tzicyn5ysrarel1t.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"54fqjhwtjhlipf5mifmo4d9sog0koce2tzicyn5ysrarel1t.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" \/><\/p><p><strong><span>Amy Drucquer, Founder, <\/span><\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grenfellathletic_fc\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span><u>This Fan Girl<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a><strong><span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p><span>\u201cOrganisations like Super 5 League and Coats and Goalposts do such incredible work to bring together teams in London to play together on a regular basis \u2013 but if you\u2019re playing grassroots football outside of the capital, you might not have that built in network of teams to play against, and miss out on some of the opportunities that being in London provides. As much as Having A Ball was a celebration of grassroots and the incredible teams from across all corners of the UK, it was also a chance for teams to strengthen their own connections in the women\u2019s football community\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><strong><span>Oli Brierley, Kitlocker:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p><span>\u201cIn what was a first for both Kitlocker and This Fan Girl, we went into this event with a combination of enthusiasm, excitement and nervousness. After plenty of calls, Zooms and Whatsapps, Having a Ball was actually happening, with over 400 people coming through the doors at St Georges Park as players and spectators.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span>We know first hand how important girls and womens participation in sport is, for both mental and physical well being. Being able to host an event to celebrate the thriving nature of the game is an incredible feeling \u2013 and we want to thank all of the coaches that volunteer their time. Without them, girls don\u2019t have football teams, and without football teams they lose out on sport, new friends and occasions like this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span>We\u2019ve created memories for customers, friends and stakeholders that\u2019ll last a lifetime in their grassroots football careers. Something that we hope will be talking about for years to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ofkpddt9viiutuhh0crnno8mda1z3mlwuchm5hmhbvw1mbga.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"ofkpddt9viiutuhh0crnno8mda1z3mlwuchm5hmhbvw1mbga.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" \/><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/fpqssdwpjrggzktjykyri5g1tqokhduf1c1stvt1hbswzn3i.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"fpqssdwpjrggzktjykyri5g1tqokhduf1c1stvt1hbswzn3i.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" \/><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/em9utsx4qxgcnbeas0rtslpe7vzqupgkzf5gvkssfmoum036.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"em9utsx4qxgcnbeas0rtslpe7vzqupgkzf5gvkssfmoum036.png.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" \/><\/p><p><\/p>","urlTitle":"having-a-ball","url":"\/blog\/having-a-ball\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/having-a-ball\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/kitlocker.com\/blog\/having-a-ball\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1743075312,"updatedAt":1749570157,"publishedAt":1749570156,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":356097,"name":"Kitlocker"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/gad8vmrsa9opwgre7sgxgwj8cxasg30fodaxbku0jnnjn8y6.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/gad8vmrsa9opwgre7sgxgwj8cxasg30fodaxbku0jnnjn8y6.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/gad8vmrsa9opwgre7sgxgwj8cxasg30fodaxbku0jnnjn8y6.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"This Fan Girl & Kitlocker Host Football Tournament","metaDescription":"This Fan Girl & Kitlocker.com welcomed 200 women & girls to play at St Georges Park, for their first grassroots football tournament - Having A Ball.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":48062,"title":"Kitted Out: Evolution Football Coaching","url":"\/blog\/kitted-out-evolution-football-coaching\/","urlTitle":"kitted-out-evolution-football-coaching","division":356097,"description":"VIDEO: Find out about our Kitlocker.com customers Evolution Football Coaching, who are bringing soccer into the school curriculum in Gateshead.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ra6hk7grcasx7ubd5cvxnnwowkp3xspxftu9ieexrevzmwdx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ra6hk7grcasx7ubd5cvxnnwowkp3xspxftu9ieexrevzmwdx.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":47754,"title":"Grenfell Athletic Launch New Kit With Kit Amnesty \ud83d\udc9a","url":"\/blog\/grenfell-athletic-launch-kit-amnesty\/","urlTitle":"grenfell-athletic-launch-kit-amnesty","division":356097,"description":"The new Grenfell Athletic shirt is here. Launched via a unique kit amnesty. Check it out and grab one for yourself to support the football club's development.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/oles9eukrddpslzjuzqpuxemkmjiqsrkrgtijkpl9qhgaqpu.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/oles9eukrddpslzjuzqpuxemkmjiqsrkrgtijkpl9qhgaqpu.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":47802,"title":"Introducing YesRef: The Easy Way to Find & Pay Referees","url":"\/blog\/introducing-yesref\/","urlTitle":"introducing-yesref","division":356097,"description":"We chatted to the creators of the YesRef app which connects clubs, businesses, leagues and educational providers with a huge database of referees","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/sd9fghbvo2fwsknzylvzpkendh55eudgvtnucevfxp3y8tbh.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/sd9fghbvo2fwsknzylvzpkendh55eudgvtnucevfxp3y8tbh.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}