The Girl’s Academy
More Than Just a Football Club
Catherine Lawson
For Ian McIntyre, founder of Progressive Touches – Football Academy, launching the Girl’s Academy last year was an opportunity to build more than football skills, it was an opportunity to build a community.
Based at Shoot Soccer in Ayr, the Girl’s Academy which attracts girls from all over Ayrshire and beyond has become a vibrant community hub as young footballers from the age of 5 to 16 train together to collectively upskill, thriving in the supportive environment which Ian and his coaches have created.
“Trust is the biggest thing,” Ian tells me. “The girls need to trust the coaches and trust that they’re in a safe space – it can take girls longer to build that trust. They know they’re part of a community here.
There’s no judgement or teasing amongst the girls and we welcome mistakes as part of their growth.”
It’s not just the girls and the coaches who make up the community, it’s the parents too, and what’s evident if you watch a training session is just how invested they are in their child’s development and in the success of the Academy. The wider wellbeing focus on the girls and their families sets this community apart and Ian is very clear about the rationale behind this.
“These girls are all facing external pressures, no matter their age or background. They’re dealing with pressures from social media, they’re worrying about body image, they’re trying to live up to all kinds of social expectations and they’re dealing with all the usual family upsets which can turn their worlds upside down. Here they can put all that to the side and focus on their training knowing that we’ve all got each other’s backs.”
For many of the girls at the Academy they’re also facing the ongoing pressures and stigma around the sport with the ‘girls don’t play football’ mentality highlighting the ongoing need to challenge the inequalities in the game. For girls who are playing at the highest levels it can be a lonely place; they face inequalities in a highly competitive world which doesn’t lend itself to building friendships and that’s where the Girl’s Academy comes in. At the Academy they go from competing to supporting as they work together, the older ones helping the younger ones and taking on leadership and early coaching opportunities in the community.
Many of the girls at the Academy are signed with clubs like Rangers, Celtic, Kilmarnock and Glasgow City and one of the regulars, Anna, recently made her Scotland debut in the Under 15s, playing in the Scottish Schools Association. These are girls who take their sport seriously and who train hard to achieve their sporting ambitions. As Ian observes:
“Developing skills outwith their own club makes these girls better for their own teams. In any given training session, we have a broad spectrum of girls here from those who are completely new to the game to those who are signed with teams. The magic is in the mix. That’s where a whole new level of skills emerge and where they can become a family on the pitch.”
Ian is keen to encourage new girls into the game and quick to point out that the Girl’s Academy is an inclusive community which welcomes everyone from complete beginners to elite players.
“This is a pressure-free environment where girls who are interested in football can start their journey. Bring a friend, just come and watch for the first time or get stuck in and give a training session a go. Everyone is welcome.”
The Girl’s Academy is so much more than just a football club – it’s a community which recognises the pressures on girls of all ages and which is prioritising their wider wellbeing needs alongside their skill development. By recognising that in order to build elite level skills on the pitch, the conditions for optimum performance have to be nurtured off the pitch, Ian and his coaches have created a space where girls are thriving in pursuit of their goals.
