Next generation of Lionesses at risk
The future of women’s football is in jeopardy if grassroots teams can’t access more funding. Nearly all coaches of grassroots female football clubs (97%) say their team needs more funds, which is limiting the opportunities for girls, who are being turned away, missing games, and paying with their own money to play. Three quarters (76%) of female players even say they’ll drop out of their team or the sport altogether if more funding isn’t secured in the next five years.
To secure the pipeline of future Lionesses, Starling Bank is set to matchmake 2,000 business sponsors with their local grassroots teams and subsidise the cost of kit sponsorship. Starling’s Kick On Initiative is backed by Alessia Russo MBE, as well as Jill Scott MBE whose coffee shop BOXX2BOXX will sponsor a local team in Manchester.
Alessia Russo MBE, Lioness, Arsenal forward, and Starling Bank ambassador, said: “We have built so much momentum in the women’s game, but years of progress will quickly unravel if grassroots teams can’t access more financial support. Sponsorship unlocks everything from kit, equipment and transport to access to suitable pitches – something I experienced first-hand earlier in my career. Local businesses have the power to help young players reach their full potential – and potentially go pro!”
According to Starling’s research, an inequality in football funding remains, with two fifths (40%) of female players saying their team doesn’t get the same amount of funding as male teams. Levelling the gap could make all the difference to the next generation of Lionesses, as nine in ten (90%) coaches believe their team could provide more opportunities for female players if they had more funding.
Increased funding would also improve the day-to-day finances of female players and their parents. On average, girl and women players have spent £212 of their own or their parents’ money to play football in the last year – such as for kit or equipment (31%), transport to games/practice (27%), and medical treatment or physio (21%). Worryingly, many have had to miss out – a quarter (25%) have missed practice/games as the team couldn’t afford nearby pitch access, or kit or equipment (23%).
A match made in heaven
UK SMEs want to help bridge the football funding gap; Starling’s research found that three in five (62%) SME leaders would be interested in sponsoring a women or girls’ team. But there’s a sponsorship awareness gap, with SMEs believing sponsorship costs 35% more than it actually does – at £1,144.50 as opposed to £845.
SMEs recognise the fruitful benefits of sponsorship, with 61% of SMEs saying it would help them support the local community, increase brand awareness (48%) and improve their reputation (44%).
Kick On with Starling
Starling’s Kick On initiative is running for the fifth time, giving more than 15,000 sets of kit to female grassroots players since 2023. This year, Starling is set to double that amount to 32,000 sets of kit by encouraging its SME banking customers to sponsor a local team, with Starling subsidising the costs for businesses to feature on the front of each team’s shirts.
For teams who don’t get kit this year, Starling has created a Sponsorship Guide and Sponsorship Proposal Template, giving them all the tools they need to secure sponsorship for themselves.
Jill Scott MBE, former Lioness and Starling Bank ambassador, said: “Times are tough for girls’ grassroots teams right now, as well as for SMEs. It’s amazing to hear how many small businesses want to sponsor the teams that desperately need it, and how many recognise the broader benefits of sponsorship too. With a career as a player and an entrepreneur, I’m proud to support Starling’s Kick On initiative again this year and I’m really looking forward to helping a team near me get some much-needed funds.”
Ellie Cross, women’s football advocate at Starling Bank, adds: “Our Kick On campaign has uncovered the issues that still remain in the women’s game – from body image issues and low self-esteem to unequal pitch access and a lack of female coach role models. We want to help clubs address their funding difficulties through partnerships with local businesses that will hopefully stand the test of time.”
UK amateur women’s or girl’s football teams (at a club or school), and Starling business customers can apply for the match-making scheme on the Kick On with Starling page. Registrations and applications close at 11:59pm on 17th July 2026.
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