‘Football For All’ was the goal at an Isle of Man Football Association (IOMFA) event held at The Bowl to kick-off a campaign to get more women and girls involved in the sport.
Natasha Dowie – the former senior England international and current Liverpool FC Women’s Ambassador – was one of the guests of honour at the Island’s first ever showcase event for women and girls’ football.
It signalled the start of a new IOM FA campaign that’s aligned with The English FA’s #FootballForAll and #letgirlsplay, which are in turn part of wider campaigns to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
IOMFA
The event – which took place two days before International Women’s Day – featured 17 under 6 to under 16 girls club teams in a friendly round robin tournament, and girls from the Manx Youth Games.
The finale was a senior exhibition match between two teams drawn from the Isle of Man’s national women’s football squad.
Vicki Hotchkiss, IOMFA Non-Executive Director, said: “The response to this event exceeded our expectations. It was fantastic to see so many people turning up to watch the matches and show support for women and girls’ football.
“We must say a massive thank you to all of the individuals and local businesses which made this event a success, especially to Robinson’s, Boal & Co and Canada Life International for their support as event sponsors.”
In addition to Natasha Dowie, special guests included Lady Philippa Lorimer MBE; the Chief Minister Alf Cannan MHK; Mayor of Douglas Councillor Natalie Byron-Teare; Becky Corkish, Captain of the Isle of Man’s national women’s football team; IOM FA sponsors, representatives from IOM Sport and a number of women volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the game going.
Lewis Qualtrough, CEO, Isle of Man Football Association, said: “Our IOMFA strategy over the next four years will include a strong focus on increasing the participation of women and girls in all aspects of the game.
“While the event at The Bowl was a great start to the next phase of our campaign, we want to further build on our current participation and activity levels and ensure our sport is open, accessible and welcoming to everyone in the community.”
Go to www.isleofmanfa.com to find out more about football in the Isle of Man and how to get involved in the game at your local club.
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