Several UCFB students worked at the Capital Girls League Semi Cup Finals on Saturday, immersing themselves in the largest girls’ league in London ahead of International Women’s Day.

From social media, to operations, to coaching, our students got involved across a range of sectors, playing a crucial role in ensuring the event ran smoothly, despite the horrendous weather conditions that made for interesting playing conditions on the day.

Billie Halladay, a BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing student, commented on her role at the tournament: “As the operations manager, I’ve been organising teams - scheduling in teams to take pictures with the [UEFA Women’s Euros] trophy, laying down the rules, giving them some history about the trophy as well. The day has been great.”

The event is part of the wider Capital Girls League, which was awarded Grassroots League of the Year 2021, and includes 118 teams (and counting, as it says on their website) with over 1,800 registered girls. Powered entirely by volunteers, alongside a robust and dedicated committee, the league unites those with a shared interest in promoting and growing the women’s game – and what better time to celebrate this than International Women’s Day.

Chairwomen of the league, Leah Godfrey, said: “I hands down have the most amazing job in London. What we want to do here at the Capital Girls League is really curate the community that we have, so we don’t just focus on results, but participation. Today’s event, where we have TikTok challenges and the UEFA Trophy, are a nod to being inclusive and being a community-driven grassroots league.”

With the UEFA Women’s Euros tournament fast approaching, hosted on home soil for the first time in 17 years, the event provides an unparalleled opportunity to showcase what women’s football has to offer in England, and continue to drive public interest and personal investment in the game.   

Billie finished: “Events like this are really good for women in sport because it shows that women are powerful, and can do whatever they want and put their mind to.”