Why More Women Are Returning To Football Later In Life

Before I get into this one, I'll hold my hands up... a man writing about why women are returning to football later in life is a bit like a fish giving a TED talk on staying dry! I'm well aware of that! But it's something I care about a lot - and I wanted to share some thoughts and experiences that I've learned and gathered through the football coaching I do - so hear me out...

Something genuinely interesting is happening in women's football at the moment - and it's not just at the top level... Up and down all over the UK, women who haven't kicked a ball in years (or even ever) are lacing up their boots for the first time - and the exciting reasons as to why and what's behind it are very worthy of a blog post... so here goes!

The England Lionesses - Their (Fantastic) Impact

Their Euro 2022 win at Wembley did something for women's football in this country that no amount of marketing ever could (and following it up with a second European Championship in 2025 has only further enhanced it)! (Amazingly) Attendances at Women's Super League matches have climbed dramatically since that first win, and more girls are registered to play than ever before!

It's genuinely changed attitudes, opinions and perspectives in how women's football gets talked about and watched.

But I think what matters most isn't just the numbers at the top, it's what it's done further down... Seeing women's football being taken seriously, covered properly in the media and celebrated has given a lot of women permission to think "maybe this is for me too" (even if they've never played before or haven't touched a ball since school).

Starting Later Isn't The Same As Starting Behind

A huge number of women getting into football who are now in their thirties, forties, fifties (and even beyond) aren't returning to the sport they used to play all those years go... they're actually starting to play football for the very first time!

That's not because the interest was never there - growing up, a lot of girls simply weren't given the same access to football that boys were.

Some players (who I've had the absolute privilege of working with and coaching) have told me stories of their youth and the attitudes/opinions of the time... I've heard from players telling me that they were steered towards other things like home economics, cookery, training on typewriting or medicine etc. and that they were told that it wasn't really a sport "meant for them" - or they were just never given the chance in school or locally to try it properly (again, as it was always considered a boys/men's sport).

Sadly, that's not ancient history either, and it's still shaping choices that some women made as children not that long ago... for perspective, I'm 34 at the time of writing this article and some of the players I've worked with privately when doing one to one football coaching have been in their 60s - and genuinely, it fills my heart with joy to see someone finally give football a go (decades after they ever thought they would), and watch them enjoy every second of it knowing that there's no judgement or stigma (certainly not from me anyway)!

So when a woman picks up football for the first time at 35 or comes back to it after twenty years away, she isn't behind... She's simply starting now on ground that's finally more level than it's ever been.

The Confidence Barrier Nobody Talks About

Momentum and the history aside, there's still something that holds a lot of women back from actually turning up to that first session... and it's rarely about fitness or ability - It's confidence.

Walking into a group environment as the only complete beginner, or the only person who hasn't played in twenty plus years can be genuinely daunting.

There's a very real fear of being watched, getting something wrong in front of people who look like they already know what they're doing or feeling out of place either from the get-go, during the session or straight after... and that fear alone is often enough to keep a woman from ever giving football a proper try in the first place.

Now, this is something I think about a lot in my own football coaching, because the pressure that group settings create isn't necessarily about football at all - it's social (and as a person who also has social anxiety), I completely understand and relate to this situation and how people feel in these moments.

This is why my one-to-one football coaching tends to work so well as a starting point - as there's no one to compare yourself to, no one watching (well, except me but that's literally only to see how I can help), and absolutely no pressure or expectations for you to already know what you're doing.

So if nerves are holding you back, I've written more about managing that side of things in my post on football anxiety and how to manage it, and my one-to-one football coaching and women's football coaching pages goes into more detail on how sessions are actually structured if you're considering taking some lessons.

Walking Football Has Opened The Door Wider

One of the biggest, and (I believe) most important developments has also been the rise of walking football too!

It strips the game back to a slower, lower-impact version with no running and minimal contact... It's brought a completely new group of women onto the pitch who might never have considered football an option for them previously.

What's interesting to hear is that a lot of female players' first reaction to me suggesting walking football is "that's not really for me" (initially), and yet, the ones who give it a try tend to stick with it.

When I follow up with these players, most of them have said that the appeal (and the reasons why they're continuing participating in this version of football) is because they're with likeminded people in the same position as they are, that they feel like they're "a part of something" and/or that they're enjoying this specific version of football which they play on their own terms (that suit them).

More Time, More Freedom!

I've talked already about some of the female footballers I've met, coached and spoken with who never really had the chance to play growing up - whether that be due to the restrictions football placed on women for decades, or simply being steered towards other things in life... But there's another side to this too...

When you're in your twenties and thirties, it can be a lot... building a career, marriage and relationships etc. and (for some) women - raising children who naturally take up whatever time and energy is left once everything else has been dealt with, means that something like a weekly football session just doesn't get a look in - there's no time or it's just impossible to commit to it... it's not because they don't want to do it - but it's because there's always something more pressing that has to come first.

Then, gradually, that starts to change... The kids need you a little less, work feels more settled than it did a few years back - and an evening that used to feel completely spoken for suddenly has a gap in it that wasn't there before!

What fills that gap matters more than people realise... it's not really about just having an extra hour or two (or three, or even more)! it's about finally feeling like it's okay to spend that time on yourself - quite possibly for the first time in a very long while!

If You're Considering Participating in Women's Football...

If any of this resonates with you - whether you're considering football for the very first time or picking it back up after years away, I'd genuinely love to help!

My women's football coaching page has more on how one-to-one football coaching sessions work (assuming you're in the Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch or New Milton areas) - and if you'd like to hear from women who've already taken that step, check out my testimonials page.

There's genuinely no better time to start than right now - and whoever you are and whatever your experience is with playing football... there's a place for you!