Is a first club session coming up?
What a first session looks like and the one game to practise first.
See the first session guideGetting My Daughter Into Football: Where to Start
Confident Beginners
A curious girl is a good start.
If you are getting your daughter into football, the way in is a ball she chooses, a few easy words and a first session you have checked together.
For a long time I thought the hard part was finding a club. It is turning up without knowing who else will be there. Picture a first session you have not checked. The first thing she may do on arrival is count the girls, and if she gets to two she may go quiet in the car all the way home.
Start here
How to Get a Girl Into Football: The Short Answer
Start at home with a ball she picks, find out what she likes, then try a session once she asks. Nothing needs to be bought first and a club is a later decision. If you have not yet had a first real go, start with football for beginners, then come back here.
In England, England Football's Wildcats page describes non-competitive sessions for girls aged 5 to 11, led by FA qualified coaches (The FA's Wildcats page). The FA's guide to how girls can play lists mini soccer for ages 7 to 10. I say England because Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own associations.
A girl does not need a different kind of football. She may need a different kind of first visit. No one route suits every girl, and the order on this page is an arrangement of ordinary advice, not a tested programme.
If she asks to play and then hangs back when other children are already playing, see the plan for a child too shy to join in at the park.
Let her run it
Girls Football for Beginners at Home: Three Starters in Five Minutes
The aim is to find out what she enjoys with no audience. Pick one starter, do it for five minutes and stop while it is still fun.
The NHS says children aged 5 to 18 should aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity a day on average across the week (the NHS activity guidelines for children). Five minutes of football is one small part of that, not a target.
- 1
Her ball, her patch. She chooses the ball from what you have and picks the spot, such as a stretch of lawn or a clear corner of the garden. She sets one rule, like "stop it before the fence". Your only job is to say "Your patch, your rules."
- 2
You teach me. Pretend you have never played. She shows you how to stop the ball and you get it wrong on purpose, twice. Teaching someone else tends to make a beginner feel like the expert for two minutes, though that is my idea and not from a study.
- 3
Copy a clip. Watch thirty seconds of a women's match on a phone or the TV, then go outside and try one thing you saw, such as stopping the ball with the sole of the foot. No one scores and no one is marked.
For small taps and a ball that stays close, the easy first dribbling game has the whole method.
Stop while it is still fun, and ask "Same time tomorrow?" rather than "How was that?"
Where to look in England
Finding Girls-Only Football: Wildcats and What Else Exists
Wildcats is aimed at girls aged 5 to 11 who want to try football for the first time or play with other girls their own age (England Football's Wildcats page). The FA's Wildcats page says sessions are typically about an hour, led by FA qualified coaches, with most charging up to a maximum of £3 and some providers offering free introductory sessions. Use the postcode finder on England Football's site.
Format and price are set by each provider, so check before you go. The FA reports that 81 percent of parents say their daughters gained confidence and 71 percent that they made new friends. That is the FA's own survey with no sample size or method shown, so it cannot show that Wildcats caused any change.
What else exists
Mini soccer is for ages 7 to 10, played 5v5 or 7v7, and many clubs run girls' sections that you can find with The FA's Find a Club tool (The FA's guide to how girls can play).
Mixed or girls-only?
For mixed football, use the same Find a Club tool and ask each club whether it runs mixed sessions or teams for her age. The FA's standard rules for youth competitions (the 2025-26 edition) let an all-female team apply to play an age group down in a mixed competition. That is a competition rule, not a promise from any league, so ask the league before you plan around it, and check that the current season's rules still say the same.
Before the first visit, ask
- How many girls usually come?
- Who is the named welfare officer and how do I reach them? (the NSPCC's checklist for choosing a sports club)
- Can she watch one session first or bring a friend?
First session at a club? Here is what a first club session looks like, in order.
No source says girls-only is better for every girl. Some girls prefer playing with friends of any gender, so let her choose.
Words you can use
Daughter Wants to Play Football but Is the Only Girl: What to Say
Being the only girl is a real worry, not a silly one, and it is worth checking before the first visit, not talking away afterwards. She may be fine, and you will find out together.
"Shall we go and watch one session first and see who's there? If you'd rather not stay, we can go home straight away, and we'll try something else."
| She says | You could say |
|---|---|
| "I'll be the only girl." | "That could be true. Shall we ask how many girls come, and watch first?" |
| "Football is for boys." | "Lots of girls play it. Want to see a clip of a women's match first?" |
| "What if they won't pass to me?" | "Shall we practise asking, 'Over here!', at home first?" |
| "I don't want to go." | "Okay. Shall we play at home first and ask again in a few weeks?" |
What not to say
- "Show them girls can play" puts the proving on her.
- "Don't be silly, there'll be loads of girls" is something you do not know yet.
- "You'll love it" is a promise she can only break.
For talk during play, see what to say during play. If she hangs back from a game already under way, use the plan for a child too shy to join in at the park. No line is magic and none comes from a trial.
Your part in it
How to Encourage Your Daughter in Football Without Pushing
Let her set the pace. Ask what she liked, not what she scored, and give one specific sentence of praise, such as one from a bank of praise lines sorted by moment.
Do not make it a statement about girls. If she is curious, watch a women's match together in short bursts. If the visit goes badly, go home and try again later.
On kit, she wears what she is comfortable in, and there is no need to buy anything before the first go.
Staying curious for a month before the first session is a good start, not a delay.
What is known and what is not
What the Sources Say About Girls and Starting Football
Wildcats is aimed at girls aged 5 to 11, run by FA qualified coaches, typically about an hour and mostly up to £3 (England Football's Wildcats page, The FA's Wildcats page). That is the governing body describing its own programme, local sessions vary and the pages are undated.
The FA reports 81 percent of parents saying their daughters gained confidence and 71 percent that they made friends. It is the FA's own survey with no sample size or method shown, and it cannot show cause.
A UEFA survey of girls and young women covered 4,128 respondents aged 13 and over in six countries. It found 80 percent of teenage girls in football teams or clubs reporting more confident behaviour, against 74 percent of those in other sports. The girls were 13 and over, a football body commissioned it and it cannot show football caused the difference, so it says nothing direct about girls of 5 to 11.
The NHS guideline of at least 60 minutes of activity a day across the week (NHS) covers all children. Football is one way to meet it, not the only way.
Nothing I found tests this order of home starters, visit and session. I would rather tell you the plan is a sensible order than pretend a study proves it.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Getting a Daughter Into Football
How do I get my daughter into football?
Start at home with a ball she picks, in short plays she runs, then try a girls-only session when she asks. England Football's Wildcats is for girls aged 5 to 11 (England Football).
Where can my daughter play girls-only football?
Wildcats centres across England for ages 5 to 11 (England Football, The FA), mini soccer for ages 7 to 10 and local clubs through The FA's Find a Club tool (The FA). Check the format and price with each provider.
What if my daughter is the only girl on the team?
Visit and watch first, ask how many girls come and whether a friend can join. The FA's rules let an all-female team apply to play an age group down in a mixed competition, which is the league's decision, and these are the 2025-26 rules (The FA rules).
How much do girls' football sessions cost?
The FA's page says most Wildcats sessions charge up to a maximum of £3 and some providers offer free introductory sessions (The FA). Clubs set their own fees.
Should I stay and watch my daughter's first session?
Stay where she can see you for a first visit, and ask for the club's named welfare officer (NSPCC). Leave when she tells you she is ready.
Is football safe for a girl my daughter's age?
Wildcats sessions are run by FA qualified coaches (The FA). At home, use a soft ball on grass and clear the space first. Nothing here is medical advice.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you see. If you are ready to find a team for her, how to choose a football club for your child lists what to look for.
Does she hang back when others are playing?
A five-step plan for joining a game at the park, with words to say.
See the park planWant more for nervous beginners?
Everything for nervous beginners, in one place.
See Confident BeginnersTonight's five minutes
Let her pick the ball and the patch.
Ask her to choose the ball and the spot, then play one starter for five minutes. Stop while it is still fun and ask, "Same time tomorrow?"