Global day of celebration on 8 March
Wednesday 8 March 2017 is International Women’s Day, and the Gills want to use this occasion to recognise all of the women and girls who make the club great!
From staff to coaches, apprentices to players, the club is full of inspirational women of all ages who deserve recognition for the fantastic work they do.
International Women’s Day is global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year’s campaign theme is #BeBoldForChange, which focuses on creating a more gender inclusive world. You can find out more about International Women’s Day here.
As part of International Women’s Day, our Gillingham Girls Academy team will be celebrating by going out into the community, taking over PE at Fairview Primary School on Wednesday, and hopefully inspiring a new generation of young players. The girls will be showing off their skills by delivering to both the girls and boys at Fairview throughout the day.
Women and Girls’ Development Officer Georgia Bowie said of the event; “As part of their studies the Girls Academy students need to plan, deliver and evaluate a coaching session, and what better way to show the girls off than to put them in front of a crowd of young children who usually have male football instructors, and give them a platform to showcase female excellence in football.”
She continued: “There are so many girls that do not or have not played football before, and often we find that it’s because they feel intimidated by the boys, or by the lack of female role models. Lots of girls just want to play sport for enjoyment and to learn, but feel they won’t be accepted. With schemes such as “this girl can” and #beboldforchange there has been an increase in female participants in sport, and we couldn’t be prouder to be supporting these schemes by offering opportunities for girls to play across all ability and age levels.
“I’m extremely proud of our Girls Academy team; every day they surprise us and every day they try to be better versions of themselves by supporting schemes and acting as genuine role models for the community. It’s a privilege and an exciting time to see the growth in great women in sport, and I hope to see it long continue, especially here at Gillingham.”
Equality and Diversity Officer Ian Cox added: “As we continue to strive for equality, inclusion and change, we welcome and celebrate International Women’s Day here at Gillingham Football Club and Community Trust, using football as the vehicle not just to deliver the message of support to this cause, but to also educate and raise awareness in the fight for gender equality.”
The Gills are delighted to be supporting International Women’s Day again this year, and want all of our fans to join us in celebrating this important day.
Our next game against Scunthorpe on Saturday, March 11 will be a Match of Action in support of International Women’s Day, so look out for more information in your matchday programme.
We asked some of our coaches, players and staff members to share their achievements and mark how they will #beboldforchange. Look out for more on Twitter @GillsCommunity over the next few days!
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Don't miss our Kids 4 A Quid day against Scunthorpe this Saturday