The importance of educational football and why we should be helping it grow | OneFootball

When discussing football culture, we tend to focus on three areas: grassroots, the professional game and local clubs. But one crucial space often gets left out in the UK — football in schools and universities.

Educational settings are often springboards for sports. They can introduce a student to a passion they perhaps wouldn’t have discovered elsewhere.

We’ve taken a look at the importance of supporting football and its access through educational settings like schools and universities.

Schools and universities: Crucial entry points

For many women and girls, school or university is the first time they get to play football properly. Whether it’s through a PE lesson or joining a university society. Educational settings often mark the beginning of their football journey.

According to Inspiring Positive Change (2020–2024), while 85 percent of primary schools offer equal access to football in PE for girls, this drops to just 50 percent in secondary schools. That means half of teenage girls already face barriers before they’ve had a real chance to engage with the sport.

If we want to grow the women’s game — making it inclusive, accessible, and sustainable — then we need to take this part of the football pipeline seriously.

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The need for better pathways and support

Academies are often held up as the solution. But with many women’s teams underfunded and the system continuing to reinforce racial and socio-economic barriers, should we really be relying on them alone?

As former Lewes CEO Maggie Murphy put it: “The industry has made demands for progress and implemented decisions that have made it close to impossible for women’s teams to survive without a men’s club stumping up cash. When a crisis in ownership happens, the women’s team will always be collateral damage.”

If the academy system isn’t working for everyone, then why aren’t we investing more in schools and universities, spaces already introducing thousands of girls to football?

We should be pushing the FA to create clear, supported pathways from university football into the professional game — and ensure education-based football isn’t sidelined.

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Universities and BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) should be held to higher standards. Are their women’s teams properly supported? Are competitions inclusive and competitive? Do students have equal access to facilities, coaching, and funding?

The sport sector already leans heavily on higher education. According to the Complete University Guide (2021–22) by BUCS, 126 institutions provide sport opportunities for over 2.3 million students annually — offering everything from scholarships to volunteering and community access.

With this infrastructure already in place, universities could play a huge role in shaping the future of women’s football — if given the right resources and accountability.

College soccer plays a more crucial role in the US than England, where club academies serve as the main pipeline to the pros.

Bridging the gap after education

But what happens once school or university ends?

Too many women fall through the cracks at this stage. If they’re not going pro, the options are often unclear, inaccessible, or nonexistent. Many walk away from football. Not because they want to, but because there’s no structure to help them stay involved at the standard and support they are used to.

To build a sustainable women’s game, we need pathways beyond education.

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Supporting women’s football at all levels

And what about the rest of us? What are we doing to support women’s football at the educational level? Are we attending school and university matches, sharing their stories, creating spaces that encourage them to stay in the game?

This is the moment to think bigger. Not just about what women’s football is now, but what it could be, if we opened more doors.

The future of women’s football depends on more than just what happens on TV or in stadiums. It’s also shaped on school pitches, university fields, and in the quieter corners of the game. Let’s start paying attention.

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