Cumberland Football Association has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.
The association is in the running for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category at the 2023 County FA Recognition Awards.
The awards, which will be announced at Wembley Stadium on Thursday November 23, recognise and endorse the best projects, products and services delivered by county FAs over the past season.
A record-breaking 242 submissions have been entered from the 50 county FAs operating across England, highlighting continuous improvements, and showcasing how they are innovating to improve grassroots football and increase participation across all levels of the game.
Cumberland FA made the final shortlist for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category for its Starter Period Pack for Girls Project, which saw the county FA join forces with Tesco in Carlisle and Workington and Period Poverty North Cumbria to provide all affiliated girls teams, from U12 to U18, with a starter period product pack for training and matches.
The project wanted to provide the resources to support girls, amid the cost of living crisis where one in four girls said they were struggling to afford period products, but also wanted to raise awareness of these challenges and breaking down any barriers that may have stopped girls be able to access the products they need.
Helen Aitchison, women and girls football development officer at Cumberland FA and lead for the project, said: “We were delighted to co-ordinate with our partners to offer a starter pack for period products for girls’ teams across the county providing around 700 girls with equal access to period products, if needed, at training or matches when they play football.
“This season, four out of five respondents to our survey didn’t have these period packs prior to this project with 50 per cent of coaches saying these helped to reduce any awkward conversations between themselves and their players during the season.
“We’re now planning the new season allocation to support girls, women, coaches and teams for the season ahead.”
Cumberland FA director and deputy board safeguarding champion, Jackie Hayhow, who was pivotal in setting up the project and linking with the strategic partners said: “While it is nice to be recognised by the FA, our main aim was to ensure that all female teams from U12 and upwards were provided with a period starter pack boot bag to help reduce the stigma around periods, especially as the majority of coaches within the girls’ game are males.”
Kelly Cromie, of Period Equality for All in Cumbria, formerly known as Period Poverty North Cumbria, said: “We believe period products should be free and available to anyone who needs them, so it’s great to be able to provide these items free of charge to those people and be involved in such a great initiative.”
