Powell and O'Leary visit Hartcliffe Women and Girls' session.

Bristol City Women stars Ella Powell and Lia O'Leary visited a Robins Foundation Women and Girls' session as part of EFL Week of Action.

The Robins Foundation’s F3 football sessions provide opportunities for women and girls across Bristol to engage with football in a friendly and inclusive environment. Led by experienced coaches, these sessions are designed to be fun and accessible for players of all abilities. Whether a participant wants to build fitness, develop football skills or create lasting friendships, there’s a space for all.

Powell and O'Leary got involved with the parallel women's and girls' activities, playing small-sided games and helping with skills-based drills. They also chatted with the attendees and coaches, with Robins Foundation Women and Girls Lead Grace Phillips telling them about the history and importance of these sessions based in Hartcliffe,

Phillips said: “We run the sessions in deprived areas so there’s less barriers for them to play.”

These sessions were started by Grace and her sister Lauren when they were in the Robins Foundation South Bristol Youth Council. They were disappointed with the number of football opportunities for girls in South Bristol so began setting up sessions with the Robins Foundation. This Hartcliffe session has been running for many years and the F3 project is now made up of 8 weekly sessions across Bristol plus work in schools through girls' football clubs. 

Ella Powell said: “When I was young there wasn’t even any girls team. Even just seeing girls teams now is crazy to me, let alone sessions that cater to ever possible need.

“It’s mad how far it’s come, the accessibility is miles ahead of when I started playing.”

These sessions are free and accessible for any women and girls, no matter their footballing experience. They are fun and friendly spaces each week for attendees to boost confidence, be active and make friends. Find your nearest session by clicking the link below.