News

Reclaim: To take back something that was yours.

Soccer is the world’s game and that means it belongs to every single person. Our #ReclaimTheGame General Council brought together a trailblazing group of industry leaders earlier in 2022 who shared diverse expertise on how we can work together to create a safer and more inclusive soccer industry. By reclaiming the game we are taking back ownership for anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong in soccer.

Onside: Occupy a position where playing the ball is allowed.

Women in Football is inspiring leaders across the industry to occupy positions of advocacy that allow the women’s game to thrive.

#GetOnside is a rallying cry to be on the side of change regarding gender equality in football.

Reclaiming the game is an ongoing process and we’ve teamed up with our sisters across the pond to unify more people in this mission.

Watch back the whole event and access the #ReclaimTheGame Industry Toolkit here. Check out 150 #GetOnside pledges to improve equity in soccer here.

WIS x WIF

The Women in Soccer and Women in Football team up will have an enormous impact on our collective goal of bringing equity and inclusion to the beautiful game.

Of the collaboration, WIS Founder, Courtney Carroll Levinsohn, said: “The very idea of Women in Soccer came from Women in Football. At the inaugural Athen’s Women’s Football Summit, I basically said to Ebru Köksal [Women in Football Chair] ‘can we be the WIS to your WIF?’ And she said absolutely. It feels really powerful that only three years later our organizations are in the position to work together to promote equity and action-based change in global soccer.” 

Huddle in squad, we’re playing two up front with #ReclaimThe Game and #GetOnside. Yvonne Harrison, WIF CEO said: “Football, soccer – call it what you like, it’s the world’s most popular sport and it belongs to everyone. That’s why we’re excited to team up with our American counterparts at Women in Soccer and build even more momentum in the drive for gender equality across the game, both here in Europe and around the world.”

THE GAME PLAN:

• JUNE 28 – MIC DROP on WIS x WIF partnership
• JULY 1-28 – Social shouts on how you can #ReclaimTheGame and #GetOnside. Plus, hit subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop with industry progress from the campaign. 
• July 28-29 – Equality Summit, roundtables (exclusive) and networking reception!
  

EQUALITY SUMMIT 2022

This summer, July 28-29 2022, in conjunction with the Women’s Euros in London, Equal Playing Field will host the Equality Summit to discuss the hard topics facing women’s football from the grassroots to the pros and beyond. The WIS x WIF team are part of the lineup and we’ll be showcasing our #ReclaimTheGame x #GetOnside campaign to an audience of global soccer leaders. “The Women in Football team is looking forward to working with WIS at the Equality Summit in July,” said Yvonne Harrison, WIF CEO. “By combining the power of our #GetOnside campaign with their inspirational #ReclaimTheGame initiative, we can’t wait to see the positive outcomes for women and football as a whole.”

MAKE HISTORY WITH US

Lastly, we wanted to share a little history lesson which highlights just how impactful YOU are for being here.

In 1921 the FA declared, “The game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.” Women are then officially banned from playing in FA leagues.

50 YEARS LATER THE BAN IS LIFTED

The growth of the women’s game was greatly stunted but with typical women in soccer grit, ballers across Europe started playing in leagues and inspiring their counterparts in the U.S. and beyond. #ReclaimTheGame

51 YEARS AFTER THAT 

All 90,000 seats to the Women’s Euro 2022 Final at Wembley Stadium sell out in under an hour.
Over 250 million viewers from 195 countries are expected to tune into live broadcasts of the tournament.
On July 31 2022 we will all be onside to make history.

Spread the word and join the #ReclaimTheGame x #GetOnside movement today!