Emma Hayes: Chelsea manager raises concerns about accessibility of football for schoolgirls

Emma Hayes branded women's football as "middle class" as she expressed her concerns about the difference in opportunities for girls and boys to play football at primary school.

The UK Government launched a review in September into domestic women's football from grassroots to the elite level, following the success of England at Euro 2022.

The Lionesses received plenty of plaudits for last summer's success but concerns have been raised about a lack of diversity in the squad, something Hayes believes starts at the grassroots level of the game.

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"Boys, generally, in the academy game, they're having parents that are taking them somewhere or they will get on trains to do it. Girls won't," the Chelsea manager said. "Families won't let the girls go to games.

"Women's football is quite middle class in my opinion, in terms of the locations, and the pedigree of players that are coming are often coming from suburban, urban belts around the training grounds.

"They're not the Alex Scotts, the Rachel Yankeys - (they're) not coming to our facilities in the same way."

Hayes, who was asked to contribute to the women's football review, continued: "We should be thinking differently, to reflect on the fact that if you want a diverse group involved with our game at an elite level, then perhaps we should be travelling into the cities more."

In August following their Euro 2022 success, the Lionesses wrote an open letter to the then-Prime Minister appealing for girls to have the opportunity to play football at school, citing data that just 63 per cent were able to do so in PE lessons.

Hayes does not believe that opportunities are equal, and she cited her own family's experience as proof.

"My nine-year-old niece goes to school and says to me 'why do I have the girls' sessions only once a week and the boys have three?'.

"I don't know. Why is that? I bet you that's probably the case across the board.

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"Then you start to look at that from an access perspective and a facility perspective.

"I wonder in the community how often those pitches are available for girls in much the same way they are for the boys.

"I don't know what to tell my niece when she cries, when she says 'why don't I get to play it more like (the boys)?'."

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How Sky is trying to make change

Sky Sports recognised and began taking steps to address the lack of diversity in the women's game back in 2020 as part of its £30m commitment to tackle systemic racism and make a difference in communities across the UK.

Sky Sports has worked with dozens of current and former players from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and has tried to give them a platform to share their stories to try and capture the imagination in order to help inspire the next generation of female footballers.

Talent has been identified and signposted directly to the Football Association and other international federations, and professional clubs, as part of Sky Sports' unprecedented commitment to British South Asians in Football, which has also seen us devote a section of our website to raising awareness about South Asians in The Game.

A number of elite and elite-potential female players and their families have also been supported with mentoring and access to off-field developmental opportunities.

Earlier this year, Sky Sports also partnered with the country's largest sports race equality charity, Sporting Equals, which has seen us support participation across the country, including devising the 'Seeing Is Believing' event for century-old west London sports club Indian Gymkhana.

British South Asians in Football

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For more stories, features and videos, visit our groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.

FA guidance on diversity in the women's game

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The Football Association recently confirmed the first 60 Girls' Emerging Talent Centre [ETC] licences to be allocated, which will see the number of young female players engaged in FA programmes across the country rise from 1,722 to over 4,200 by the end of the 2023-24 season.

Our key aims are to provide greater access for more players whilst diversifying the talent pool, and early signs show we are well on track to achieve those aims.

Discover My Talent is a Talent ID initiative which aims to provide access and opportunity to the Women's England Talent Pathway for any girl, from any community in England.

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Working with key stakeholders the programme encourages referrals from any organisation or individual for players who may possess the technical, physical or social characteristics of talent players across the 2006 - 2010 year born.

We recognise that players' journeys are uniquely different and due to the limited number of professional women's clubs across the country, this provides a challenge for young girls to access. We also acknowledge the positive impact that mixed football has had on talented female players coming through the talent system, which we should embrace and accept the difference pathways that players may choose in which to develop.

It is our intention to support clubs to increase their playing pool through youth their teams, providing more depth in talent and provide players who representative their communities. Discover My Talent is a nationwide Talent ID programme that reaches every part of England and it's job is not only to find talent in areas that may have previously not been able to access the opportunities, but also to provide support to young players and their families enabling them to reach their full potential.

British South Asians in Football

For more stories, features and videos, visit our groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.