Starling has teamed up with Jill Scott on the ‘Kick On’ initiative, which is designed to boost the number of female coaches as part of the bank’s mission to level the playing field for women and girls.
As part of the initiative, Starling will support over 300 clubs with free kit, coaching vouchers and equipment. Clubs will also gain access to ‘Sport Session Planner’, a dedicated coaching platform packed with training tools and tips to help make coaching easier.
The campaign supports Starling’s mission to level the playing field for women and girls. In line with this, the bank is Arsenal FC’s Official Retail Banking Partner and the front-of-shirt sponsor for Southampton Women’s FC.
The launch of the initiative comes of the back of research from Starling which found that the UK’s shortage of female football coaches could put the future pipeline of Lionesses at risk.
In particular, almost nine in ten (89%) female players and 84% of coaches say they want more female coaches at their club or school. Meanwhile, 46% of players cite having the right coach as one of the biggest factors in whether they stay involved in football.
With three in five (63%) coaches struggling to attract female coaches, many believe action is needed from creating clearer pathways from playing to coaching (22%) to offering financial support for qualifications (16%).
Therefore, the ‘Kick On’ initiative responds directly to these challenges by providing free equipment and resources to help clubs boost female participation in coaching.
Jill Scott MBE, former Lioness and current Starling Bank ambassador, said: “Having the right coach is so important to the success of any sports team, but their impact on young female players in particular is something that shouldn’t be underestimated,
“Right now, there’s a shortage of female coaches across the UK, which means many girls miss out on seeing role models who could inspire them to stay in the game or even dream of a career in sport. With the Kick On initiative, we want to change that and help nurture the next generation of Sarina Wiegmans who can lead teams to success, both on and off the pitch.”