UEFA and Disney introduce new playful soccer programme for Irish girls
UEFA Playmakers is a sports activity like no other that delivers a fun and safe introduction to learning football, for 5-8 year old girls, through movement, play and the magic of Disney storytelling.
Starting This Saturday 25th September 2021 / Oscar Traynor Road Centre @2:30pm
For more information see https://www.uefa.com/playmakers/en/
ABOUT UEFA and Disney’s Incredibles initiative:
UEFA and Disney’s Incredibles initiative are hoping to encourage more girls to play soccer in Ireland with storytelling based training.
Girls across Ireland are being encouraged to kickstart a lifelong love of soccer through a new football programme from UEFA and Disney’s Incredibles initiative.
Celebrating with a launch in Dublin last week, the FAI announced that is joining 22 other UEFA national associations in rolling out ‘Playmakers’ through schools, clubs and local communities.
The programme was inspired by academic research showing the positive role of storytelling in children’s sport and aims to increase the proportion of five to eight-year-old girls meeting the World Health Organization’s minimum standards for physical activity.
Each of Playmakers’ ten initial training sessions follows the narrative of Disney films like and . Equipped with footballs, bibs and cones, trained coaches will encourage participants to play the roles of popular characters, such as Elastigirl and Elsa and Anna, bringing the films’ action scenes to life through movement, teamwork and imagination.
“The growth in women’s and girls’ football in Ireland has been phenomenal in recent times and we are delighted to be part of this Playmakers initiative,” FAI ceo Jonathon Hill said.
“We are truly committed to offering that age group, and all girls, the opportunity to play our game in a fun and friendly environment. The Incredibles initiative by Disney, with the support of UEFA, will offer our young girls the opportunity to enjoy top-class coaching with a story-led approach in a collaborative and non-competitive environment. “
In its early sessions, Playmakers will focus on building girls’ confidence in their movement and encourage creative thinking and communication. Later sessions will introduce the young players to basic football skills, but with an emphasis on fun.
The play-based learning approach follows a literary review by Leeds’ Beckett University in England, which was commissioned by UEFA.
The review assessed academic research into what motivates young girls to participate in sports, identifying best practice coaching methods to create a safe learning environment. Its findings put particular emphasis on the benefits of play-based education.
“By using our much-loved characters and stories as a force for good, we can really make a difference and inspire families and children to be more active,” said Trish Long of The Walt Disney Company Ireland.
Playmakers also represents a step toward achieving one of the main goals of Time for Action, the UEFA Women’s Football Strategy – to double girls’ and women’s participation in football by 2024.
“If you’re going to teach football through the power of storytelling and play, you have to do it with the best stories and characters in the world,” said Nadine Kessler of UEFA.
