Brighton football coach helping grow a love of the game while showing opportunities off the pitch

Frankie Angel was just 4 years old when her mum took her to join her local football team. By then she had already spent hours upon hours playing with her brother in their back garden.

But there were no girls' teams for her to play for, so she joined a boys’ team; by the time she began playing competitive football, she was the only girl in the entire league.

Fast forward to today and not only has she spent time in Brighton & Hove Albion’s academy and enjoyed a playing career which currently sees her plying her trade at Lewes FC, but she has a key role in helping inspire girls across Sussex to get active and discover a love for football.

Frankie is Premier League Kicks Delivery Lead at Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation - the Seagulls’ official charity and one of the key organisations driving growth in women’s football locally.

Premier League Kicks is the Premier League’s flagship community and youth engagement programme. Delivered by professional clubs throughout the country it supports young people aged 8 to 18 with the opportunity to play free weekly football and engage in personal development opportunities.

Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation runs the sessions in community venues across Sussex, including several girls sessions in Brighton & Hove.

And it is here that Frankie is having a huge impact on local girls – not just by teaching them new skills and providing support and guidance, but by showing them opportunities exist for girls in the sport beyond the pitch.

Currently just 7 per cent of people coaching grassroots football in England are women, while a recent study from UK Coaching found a 6% drop in the number of female coaches working in football. At grassroots level that decline is even more pronounced where there has been a 10% fall in female volunteer coaches.

In fact, around half of all girls who play organised football (49 per cent) say they are mostly or always coached by someone of their own gender, compared to 85% of boys.

For clubs and organisations looking to tackle stubborn participation figures which estimate just 13 per cent of teenage girls play organised football each week compared with almost half of teenage boys, female coaches like Frankie, therefore, have a huge role to play.

Speaking in support of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Sport Lifts Her Higher campaign, which looks to cement Brighton & Hove’s reputation as the UK capital for women and girls in sport, Frankie said: “When I started playing, I was welcomed and encouraged by my coaches and teammates but there were definitely comments from the opposition – players laughing because we had a girl in the team, stuff like that.

“By the end of games, well, they wouldn’t be laughing any more.

“It helped me build resilience, but it is great to see the progress which has been made and the opportunities now available for young girls; to play a part in that through my coaching job is brilliant.

“I am a true believer that if you can’t see it, you can’t be it, so for young girls today to see so many women in such a variety of roles across football and to know those doors are open to them, it’s amazing.”

The Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation is committed to increasing female participation year-on-year, working closely with the football club on efforts to grow the profile or the women’s game locally.

As well as the girls Premier League Kicks sessions, the foundation runs a girls player pathway, girls after school clubs and holiday courses, supports dozens of women and girls with a disability to access the sport and works in local schools to increase participation.

And Frankie has also seen the impact of the Albion’s high-profile commitment to the elite side of women’s football – through investment in its training facilities, the signing of high-profile players like Fran Kirby, and most recently, unveiling ambitious plans for the first purpose-built women’s stadium in the UK.

In the meantime, the club has committed to hosting more Women’s Super League games at The Amex, with the Albion taking on Liverpool there on Saturday 14 November.

That increased visibility is key. Nationwide research found more than half of girls said watching professional athletes inspired them to play, and two-thirds agreed that seeing diverse athletes showed sport was for everyone. 

Here in Brighton & Hove, therefore, the Albion’s commitment to the women’s game must be having an impact?

“Absolutely,” said Frankie. “Over the last few years, the profile of the women’s team has just grown and grown.

“More and more you see young girls wearing the Albion kit and wanting to emulate players like Fran Kirby, Kiko Seike and Maisie Symonds.

“As someone who grew up locally and had to join a boys’ team, it’s amazing to see how things have changed.

“The fact there are plans for a bespoke women’s stadium is a big statement and shows a real commitment to local women and girls.

“I am really proud to work at the foundation, to be part of these efforts to grow the women’s game and, ultimately, to see such a passion and commitment coming from so many people to help inspire local girls.

“Not every girl who kicks a ball will play for the Albion, but football is absolutely for everyone and that is a message local girls are hearing loud and clear.

“If I can help someone develop as a footballer, great, but it is more about helping them develop as a person, helping them get active, build relationships, have fun and learn life skills that will help them succeed on and off the pitch.”

For information on Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation’s local sessions, visit: www.bhafcfoundation.org.uk.