Frankie Angel, the Premier League Kicks Delivery Lead at Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation, says girls in the city can now see far more routes into football than she could when she started, according to a news release from Brighton & Hove City Council on 6 November 2026.
Angel was four when her mum took her to join her local team. There were no girls' teams, so she played for a boys' team, and by the time she began playing competitive football she was the only girl in the entire league, the council says. She later spent time in the Albion's academy and now plays for Lewes FC.
What Premier League Kicks offers
Premier League Kicks is the Premier League's community and youth engagement programme, offering free weekly football and personal development activities to young people aged 8 to 18. The Premier League says on its website that 93 club charities deliver it across England and that more than 650,000 young people have taken part. The Albion's official charity runs the sessions in community venues across Sussex, including several girls' sessions in Brighton and Hove.
How girls can find free football in Brighton and Hove
The Foundation's girls' football page lists several girls-only Premier League Kicks groups across Sussex, aimed at young people in higher-need areas. It also lists weekly girls-only Soccer Schools sessions in Brighton for ages 5 to 16, and mixed and girls-only holiday sessions across Sussex. The page does not say what the Soccer Schools sessions cost.
For girls who want to go further, the page describes a girls' talent pathway for ages 5 to 16, with coaching that sits below the club academy. Families can ask about it at talentid@bhafcfoundation.org.uk.
Session details change, so for current girls' session times and venues, check the Foundation's booking page or contact the Foundation on 01273 878265 or at info@bhafcfoundation.org.uk. The Foundation says it holds back some places at paid-for activities for people in greater need.
The council's release says the Foundation also runs girls' after-school clubs, supports dozens of women and girls with a disability to take part, and works in local schools to increase participation.
Why female coaches matter
The council's release says just 7 per cent of people coaching grassroots football in England are women. It also says around half of girls who play organised football (49 per cent) are mostly or always coached by someone of their own gender, compared with 85 per cent of boys, and that an estimated 13 per cent of teenage girls play organised football each week, against almost half of teenage boys.
The release also points to research from UK Coaching. That organisation's own published research, a YouGov survey of more than 30,000 adults, found the percentage of female coaches fell from 44 per cent in 2022 to 38 per cent in 2024, a drop of six percentage points. It covers coaching across sport, and gives no separate figure for football.
Giving evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee on 3 June 2026, UK Coaching's Emily Handyside said the biggest decline was at grassroots and volunteer level, adding: "There was a 10% decline at that level." The transcript does not tie that figure to football.
"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."
Frankie Angel, Premier League Kicks Delivery Lead, Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation
The Albion's women's team
Angel says the profile of the women's team has "just grown and grown", with more girls wearing Albion kit and wanting to follow players such as Fran Kirby, Kiko Seike and Maisie Symonds.
The club confirmed plans on 28 April 2026 for a purpose-built women's stadium at Bennett's Field, next to the Amex, with a capacity of at least 10,000 and an aim to open no later than the 2030/31 season. In its announcement, the club said work had started on a planning application. Angel says the plans are "a big statement" and show "a real commitment to local women and girls".
Albion Women host Liverpool at the Amex on Saturday 14 November 2026, with a 5.15pm kick-off, according to the club's women's fixture list. The council's release says the club has committed to hosting more Women's Super League games there.
Sport Lifts Her Higher
Angel spoke in support of the council's Sport Lifts Her Higher campaign, which it says aims to cement Brighton and Hove's reputation as the UK capital for women and girls in sport.
"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," Angel said. "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."
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