Arsenal Women’s Lionesses Leah Williamson & Lotte Wubben-Moy achieve Government PE pledge

In partnership with

Just Arsenal News

·08 de março de 2023

Arsenal Women’s Lionesses Leah Williamson & Lotte Wubben-Moy achieve Government PE pledge

Arsenal Women’s Lionesses Leah Williamson & Lotte Wubben-Moy achieve Government PE pledge by Michelle

After the Lionesses won Euro 2022 last summer Arsenal Women’s Lionesses Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy sent an open letter to former prime ministerial contenders Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss saying we don’t want the legacy to just be our win at Wembley, we want our legacy to be that we’re giving young girls the opportunity to play our game. They also want to make sure that young girls are healthy, well and happy. So it’s the biggest issue we’ve got. It’s the biggest issue for every sport, not just the biggest issue for football.

Vídeos OneFootball

On International Women’s Day, the UK government announced it will provide all schoolgirls equal access to football. The letter, signed by all 23 players days after their historic win at Euro 2022, voiced the squad’s belief on how to ensure that boys and girls enjoy the same level of access to sport in school. The legacy of the Lionesses’ campaign means that schools are now expected to provide a minimum of two hours of PE per week.

England captain Leah Williamson said: “The success of the summer has inspired so many young girls to pursue their passion for football. We see it as our responsibility to open the doors for them to do so and this announcement makes that possible. This is the legacy that we want to live much longer than us as a team.

“On behalf of all the Lionesses players, we’d like to thank our teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy as a driving force behind this transformational change. We couldn’t be prouder to stand alongside her and we all look forward to seeing the impact this legacy creates .”

Lotte Wubben-Moy reflected on the achievement: “By making football more accessible to millions of girls across the nation, we have opened a crucial door for the growth of women’s football and women’s sport as a whole. I am proud to be part of something that will live on for generations to come. This is just the beginning.”

Currently only 67% of all schools and 41% of secondary schools offer football equally to girls in PE lessons and only 46% of schools provide the same extracurricular opportunities as boys. Schools that successfully deliver equal opportunities for girls and boys will be rewarded through the School Games Mark.

Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA’s Director of Women’s Football said: “As soon as the final whistle was blown at Wembley on 31 July 2022, the players turned their attention to what they wanted their legacy from the tournament to be and what’s been announced today is as important as anything that was achieved on the pitch in the summer.

“We’re delighted that it will be made clear to schools that they should offer a minimum of two hours of PE and they must ensure that girls have equal access to all school sport, including football.

“A conversation led by Lotte Wubben-Moy and Leah Williamson on the bus from the Trafalgar Square celebrations has today delivered real change in society and the announcement is a testament to their tenacity and excellent engagement with the Government. The FA are as proud of them as we have ever been.”

Interview courtesy of Arsenal.

Well done to Leah, Lotte and the whole Lioness squad – positive change should be celebrated..

Michelle Maxwell

ARSENAL DESERVEDLY CONTI CUP WINNERS Jonas can’t hide his happiness at finally winning a trophy with the Arsenal Women’s team. “I’m so proud!” – Full press conference….…

Follow Michelle on Just Gooner Women on Twitter for regular updates on the Arsenal Womens Team!

Do you want to read more about the Arsenal Women’s Team? Click here….