My name is Olivia Sellars, and I am from Bude, in north Cornwall. I have loved playing football since the age of six, and three years ago I began my coaching journey by volunteering at my local Weetabix Wildcats sessions. Falling in love with how much joy football gave the younger girls, I decided to set up a girls’ football club in my secondary school, because there was only a boys’ team. My aim was to give girls between 11-16 years old an opportunity to be active in a safe and non – judgmental environment, while making friends, developing confidence, and building self-belief. From having twelve in our first session, by the end of our second season I had forty amazing girls coming every week.  I am very honoured to say my school girls’ football club  became the foundations for female football in Bude, and – two years later – the community rallied together, and  we now have 6 thriving girls’ football teams from under eight’s right up to under sixteens.

However, although I was immensely proud of this, my work was not complete yet. Last October, as my FA Leadership Academy (FALA) project, I decided to set up a football leadership school for secondary school girls. Here’s why:

• I understood to keep the thriving legacy of Female Football in Bude alive, it was crucial for girls to also be in leadership positions, as well as playing roles. This is because, for girls to feel empowered, they must be allowed to be in positions where they have the power and control. Developing on this, they must also be able to thrive in these positions, so they never doubt their worth and capabilities.
• Sadly, it is the truth where, at the age of 14, double the number of girls drop out of sport than boys. I wanted to create an alternative pathway where girls can still keep connected to football, even if they no longer feel comfortable playing.
• I recognise – and am so grateful for – the positive effects coaching has had on me, so I wanted to share this. Coaching, through responsibility and being believed in by others, has helped me come out of my shell massively, as well as boosted my confidence and feelings of what I am capable of.
• I am really thankful for the support I have had through my coaching journey – from coaches I work with to the groundman of the club, parents and of course everyone in FALA. I wanted to repay this gratitude by becoming the sport I have given, for the secondary school girls.

 I have ran She Leads Coaching for seven months now and I have eight dedicated, brilliant girls between the age of 13 – 15. We learn all about what makes a great coach, including what values they should and shouldn’t have, and how important communication is, particularly exploring the different ways we can communicate, and the impact these different methods will have on children. We learn about planning  sessions: what equipment we need, who we need to contact, what we need to consider and how we can tailor the session for specialized needs. All of our learning is done through interactive games and activities. 

 So far, we have ran two festivals for younger primary girls and we can’t wait to run more in the future! My aim for these festivals is to give the older girls loads of independence to lead the younger girls using the skills they have learnt in our leadership sessions, while the younger girls are being active, making new friends and having fun!