Coventry City are marking International Women's Day, which is today - 8th March.
The Sky Blues will be marking the day, as well as celebrating the work it does for women and girls in football, as part of its participation in the EFL's 'Together' month when we host Hull City this Saturday.
Coventry City does a range of work encouraging females to play or to play a role in football – whether as a player, member of staff or supporter – working as a Club to do this and also with our community partners Sky Blues in the Community and Coventry City Women and Girls FC.
We also support the national ‘Her Game Too’ campaign, which was founded by passionate female football fans who are committed to growing the campaign with the aim of fostering an ethos in football in which women are welcomed and respected equally.
Coventry City Women and Girls FC are one of the largest female only grassroots clubs in the West Midlands with currently 17 teams registered with the Football Association ranging from girls teams at Under 9's all the way through to our Women's First Team. This club is run by volunteers that work tirelessly to raise funds, manage teams and ensure all FA standards are met. They have a close and strong connection with Coventry City along with Sky Blues In The Community who support the club and have done for the last 7 years. Fans will have seen girls from the Club being ball collectors on several matchdays as well as parading the pitch, being flag bearers and also taking part in matchday activities such as skills demos. This season they also have a dedicated page in our programme.
Sky Blues in the Community have a number of projects and activities in which girls football is included and celebrated. In February 2023, the Football Association allocated one of 60 Girls Emerging Talent Centre’s in the county to SBitC. SBitC’s GETC is aimed towards girls from school years 4 to 9, undergoing five 6 weeks training periods. The GETC concept is focused on Better accessibility, More inclusivity, Reducing the impact of early selection, More focused investment and Providing more appropriate challenges. SBitC is also providing opportunities for girls to play football in its Saturday Club, Football Holiday Camps and School activities.
Coventry City is also undertaking work to improve the matchday experience for female supporters at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and to increase and highlight the opportunities that are available within the Sky Blues for females - with female staff working across a range of areas of the Club, including sports science, medical, commercial and hospitality, football operations, safeguarding, HR, supporter services, finance, ticketing, retail, the Academy and a range of roles at Sky Blues in the Community.
We’re also dedicated to celebrating the contribution of females to football and Coventry City and to tackling sexism and misogyny on matchdays and non-matchdays – so if there are any incidents, please report them via the Kick It Out App, our matchday reporting number or to your nearest steward.
This all follows England’s Lionesses playing Italy here at the Coventry Building Society Arena, when over 32,000 fans saw the team win over Italy – just 6 months on from their Euro triumph!
You can see more at Saturday's game against Hull City and in our matchday programme.