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Give to gain

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the month of March, the Foundation has been empowering participants with a host of engaging activities to mark International Women’s Day.

| by Nathan Thomas

Framing the events around the IWD 2026 theme of “Give To Gain”, both male and female participants began the month enjoying a networking event at Old Trafford where female leaders from across a wide-ranging field of industries ran sessions and gave insights into their area of work.

 

Representatives from the world of finance, sport, broadcasting and the NHS were present, with the Foundation’s presenting partner DXC Technology also giving the youngsters the opportunity to learn about the science behind programming robots.

“Every season we’re proud to host our International Women’s Day event, and each year it reinforces just how transformative this day can be,” said Jolene Murray, the Foundation’s female football education co‑ordinator.

“Creating spaces where our participants can connect with female leaders from a range of industries, ask bold questions, step into new experiences and continue learning is vital,” she added. “It raises their aspirations, broadens their sense of what’s possible, and shows them the remarkable futures they can shape. We hope our events continue to challenge attitudes towards women and girls and inspire lasting change.”


A few days later and two of our U21 players, Olivia Turner and Millie Crook, visited Irlam & Cadishead Academy to take part in a female football tournament with local primary schools. What the participants didn’t know is that Olivia and Millie were also there to give away tickets to the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on 28th March, with every player and a family member invited along!

“The girls were so excited when we told them about the tickets,” buzzed Millie. “This is the second year in a row that we’ve been to this school around International Women’s Day and as local girls it’s really special to be able to give something back to your community.”

And if that wasn’t enough, members of our Girls Academy enjoyed a special visit from former cricketer turned broadcaster Phoebe Graham who led a collaborative session between young players from Lancashire County Cricket Club and our own Emerging Talent Centre at Eccles College.

“I’ve played lots of sport, but never cricket, and it was really fun,” Niahla, one of our young players, said.

“My favourite activity was where the cricket coaches had an orange ramp that they would throw the ball at and make it go up in the air. We had to dive and catch it and I loved doing that.”

“International Women’s Day is all about creating opportunity,” Phoebe Graham said. “We’ve got over one hundred extremely talented girls here, some whose chosen sport is football and some who play cricket, so to have the chance to switch for the evening and enjoy a number of fun activities, taking them out of their comfort zone and developing new skills, is fantastic.

“I found myself looking around at one point and thinking ‘how cool is this!?’ – it was a fantastic event to be part of.”