LBU academic research highlights success of UEFA grassroots programmes

The Football in Schools programme aims to enhance the quality and quantity of school-based football activities. The Playmakers project is working to increase the number of young girls taking up football, using innovative approaches such as a ground-breaking partnership with Disney and storytelling.

The academics work closely with representatives from UEFA and its 55 member national football associations to co-ordinate and conduct evaluations of these programmes, to understand how these programmes work on the ground, and for who they are effective for.

Dr Megan Hill said: "We are delighted to work with UEFA on this truly innovative programme. Supporting 55 National Associations across Europe is a huge challenge, but the positive impact it's making on so many young girls makes it worth it."

The findings from this work are used to propose improvements and modifications to the delivery of both projects, helping the programmes to improve and evolve, as well as encouraging more young people to take up football and create a lifelong love of sport and physical activity.

Professor Sergio Lara-Bercial said: "The findings of the evaluations are extremely positive with over 90% of girls saying they are enjoying the programme and want to remain involved in football after completing it. And, perhaps even more importantly, the programme is changing the perception of football for many parents who before didn't see it as a good option for their daughters."

The UEFA Playmakers programme launched in 2020. Two years on, it has seen amazing growth with more than 22,000 girls taking part in sessions across Europe. Almost three-quarters (70%) of the participants having never kicked a football prior to enrolling in the programme.

UEFA Playmakers has also expanded from the seven initial pilot countries to now being rolled out across 37 of UEFA’s National Associations.

The research conducted by Dr Megan Hill and Professor Sergio Lara-Bercial shows that the Playmakers programme is helping to change perceptions. Almost three-quarters (74%) of parents now feel more confident about encouraging their daughters to continue playing football and join a local team after taking part in a UFEA Playmakers session.

In addition, almost all parents (94%) stated they will recommend the programme to family and friends. Further, (93%) of the girls stated they would like to continue playing football in the future.

You can find out more about LBU’s collaboration with UEFA on Leeds Beckett University’s website: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-sport/uefa/