Earlier this month a report was published highlighting the ongoing growth of women’s football across Europe’s top leagues. Notably, England’s Women’s Super League (WSL) experienced a 41% increase in attendance during the 2023/24 season.
Several reasons for this growth were noted, including the country hosting major tournaments. However, there was no mention of the work done at the grassroots level by charities and non-profit organisations.
To learn more about the effects the charity has had on communities over the past year, as well as its plans for further expansion, Insider Sport spoke with Charlie Hyman, Founder and CEO of Bloomsbury Football, an organisation which looks to use football to improve young people’s lives.
Insider Sport: Reflecting on 2024, can you share key metrics or milestones that mark Bloomsbury Football’s growth this year, particularly in terms of youth outreach or operational scale?
Charlie Hyman: Since I founded Bloomsbury Football in 2018, we’ve scaled from four young people at our first session to reach over 5,500 young people each week in London. 2024 has been the biggest year yet – our provision across all programmes has grown, from our Football and Futsal Academies to our specialised sessions for young Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
Bloomsbury Football is on a mission to ensure that all young people can access the transformative power of organised football, and to do this, we tackle barriers to the game. Our financial support model provides discounts to low-income families across our programmes, and our Communities programme takes place in areas that fall into the top 8% Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) in London. Our hyper-localised and targeted growth means that we are supporting London’s most disadvantaged young people.
This year, we launched our Girls Strategy which supports our 2023–2028 Game Plan, the aim of which is to engage 20,000 young people weekly by 2028. The strategy is an important milestone because it communicates to every girl and young woman that there is a place on the pitch for them.
IS: The spotlight was on football last summer in both the Euros and Copa America. Did Bloomsbury use these events to enhance engagement or visibility? If so, what results did you see?
CH: At Bloomsbury Football, we see major tournaments and football events as a chance to inspire more young people to get on the pitch with us. We really believe that football has the power to build stronger communities and create life-long positive memories.
During the Men’s Euro’s in the summer, we hosted a watch party at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium for England’s group game against Denmark, giving our players, their friends and families a space to celebrate and watch the game as part of a community. Over 1,400 people attended, and though the 1-1 result wasn’t the scoreline most fans hoped for, the atmosphere and excitement among the crowd was fantastic.
We hope to create similar community events for next summer’s Women’s Euros, as there are so few arenas where Londoners from all walks of life can come together so easily towards a common goal.
By providing these third spaces outside of work and the home, we can demonstrate the significance of football far beyond the pitch and encourage even more people to come and play regularly, which we firmly believe benefits society as well as the individual.
IS: With the England team reaching two Euros finals over the past several years, how much of a strong component is international success in building the next generation of participants at the grassroots level and has Bloomsbury Football seen this first-hand following recent major international competitions?
CH: Success in major tournaments is powerful in generating excitement from the younger generations. I think we saw this most powerfully with the Lionesses’ historic Euros win in 2022. The scale of the Lionesses’ achievement and the level of attention their win brought to the women’s game meant that there were so many young girls inspired to get on the pitch that summer. We have been able to continue building on that momentum for the younger generation through our girls’ strategy and some incredible brand partnerships – including working with Mastercard to give some of our Academy girls the chance to be UEFA Champions League final mascots earlier this year.
What is most important for us during major tournaments is that we’re here to turn inspiration into action. It’s our goal during these times to ensure that young fans, regardless of their ability or background, can get on the pitch and play. We’re here to make sure that every young person who is inspired by watching their team compete on a global stage can then get on the pitch with us and experience all the mental and physical benefits of playing regular football.
Our goal at Bloomsbury Football isn’t to develop professional footballers – we love football and believe in its power to change lives. We want every young person to access that, regardless of their ability level. However, players like England’s Ollie Watkins who have had a journey from the grassroots level to the international stage are very inspiring to our players and certainly encourage them to dream big and continue showing up on the pitch.
IS: With partnerships this year, including with brands like Mastercard around the Champions League final, what specific business impacts have these collaborations brought, and how have they boosted Bloomsbury’s profile within the sports industry?
CH: We’re so grateful to work alongside organisations that share our belief that football can be a transformative force for good in the lives of young people. We’ve seen how partnering with brands has enormous impacts on the charity, our players and the brands themselves.
The increased credibility that Bloomsbury gains through brand association with globally renowned organisations like Mastercard is undoubtedly helpful, while the generous donations made enable us to fund more programmes. With more training sessions available, we’re able to offer more young people the chance to play who otherwise would have faced too many access barriers to getting on the pitch.
The players already playing at our sessions benefit too. Partnering with brands means that Bloomsbury Football can provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like meeting England Captain Leah Williamson, or walking out as a mascot with Jude Bellingham at Wembley for the Champions League final.
By collecting stories from the players that they’ve helped play organised football regularly, these partners can also tangibly demonstrate their positive impact on individuals and communities in London – improving mental and physical health and teaching transferable lifelong skills. Telling these success stories in a responsible way helps show the brand’s authenticity and approachability to wider audiences.
We’re always looking to work alongside more brands whose missions align with our commitment to improving the lives of young Londoners and help widen the scope of our impact.
