As a female football coach and a mother of two boys, I have identified a disturbing disparity within our local youth leagues. Every Saturday morning, at my boys' matches, toilet facilities are nearly always available. However, when it comes to the girls' teams on Sunday mornings, there are often no facilities, or they are unfortunately locked.

This is not just an issue for girls and women, but it is one that is more apparent and more prevalent to them due to the lesser numbers of girls teams, which mean that clubs are not always open when they play and the basic female anatomy.

Our young female players, just like their male counterparts, deserve equal comfort and dignity during their games. Unavailable or inaccessible toilet facilities during matches not only breed discomfort but fuel inequality in the sport.  Not to mention the safeguarding implications involved with expecting children of any gender to expose themselves in a public place, in order to relieve themselves.

According to a survey by Women in Sport in 2020, 64% of girls stop playing sport entirely by the time they leave secondary school, partly fueled by inadequate facilities. This is significantly higher than the boys who stand at 50% (Women in Sport, 2020). This is unnecessary and easily fixable.

In light of this issue, I appeal for a resolution. I call for a move towards  mandatory provision and mandatory access of toilet facilities at all youth football venues. Both girls and boys' leagues should have equal rights to these necessary facilities. 

This does not mean forcing venues to revoke access, this means supporting venues with adequate funding and planning to be able to provide basic facilities, it means gaining access to toilets that are already on site but remain locked up, it may even mean providing a portable solution for a while.  It is not an overnight fix but I hope that this petition will get us on the way to allow more young people continue their grassroots journey in safety and with dignity.  

Let's ensure all our young sportspeople have access to toilet facilities, regardless of their gender or the day they play. Sign this petition to mandate toilet facilities at all youth football venues and the funding to support this.