From dance floor to football pitch: Amy Dowden joins Just Play

To experience the joy of playing football for the very first time in adulthood, Amy met women from sessional grassroots team The Heath FC, before being taken for her first taste of football at their women-only Just Play weekly session.

Just Play is The FA’s recreational sessional football format, offering a casual and non-competitive route into or back to football for adults aged 16+. Most recently, the Just Play programme has expanded to offer female-only sessions for women looking to find community, learn new skills, and reap the physical and mental health benefits of football in a safe, social and fun environment.

Amy chatted to four women who all have all found a love of football through different routes: Lu, who was inspired by her daughters to take up football in her late 30s; Lili, a doctor who kicked her first football aged 55; Ewelina, who found football when she was looking to build female friendships after moving to a new area; and Jen, who set up the sessions with funding, equipment and training provided by The FA to get started.

Made up of women aged from their early 20s to their late 50s, The Heath FC pride themselves on building a community of women from all ages and abilities which has grown beyond football to become a vibrant social network in North London.

Interest, opportunity and access to women’s football has seen extraordinary growth in recent years latest, and insight shows that 14% of women in England are now involved in playing football in any format – yet this decreases to 4% of women aged 40 and above. The biggest barrier to women aged 40+ who have an interest in playing football for the first time being the belief they are ‘too old’ to start.

Outside of pursuing other activities, not being ‘good enough’, a perception of football being ‘too physical’ and a lack of confidence are common barriers for women over 40 who have never played or have played previously and fallen away from the sport.

Just Play Kickabout and Just Play Learn to Play offer access to football for women in a way that meets them at their comfort level – informal, flexible ways to either just turn up have a friendly kickabout, or to learn the game as a beginner or returner to football with a qualified coach leading a female-only session.

Speaking at the Just Play session for women, Amy Dowden MBE said: “Since my cancer diagnosis, I am like ‘I’m going to try new things’. 

“I absolutely loved it. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth – that I loved playing football. It was just fun with absolutely no judgement.

“I’ve never really thought about football until now. What I would say is, go give it a go – what have you got to lose?”

To find existing Just Play sessions in your area, visit find.englandfootball.com

Free training, kit, initial funding and support is available to anyone wanting to set up a Just Play session for adults in their local area. Visit our Just Play page for more information.