Most parents ‘would be happy for daughters to work in football world’

THE MAJORITY of parents would be happy for their daughter to pursue a career in football, according to a survey which found an attitude shift towards the game.

Younger parents, aged under 40, were found to be particularly leading the way in promoting the game to their daughters while starting between the ages of five and seven was identified as the most popular time to start playing.

While a quarter of parents said they would “actively encourage” their daughter to play football, more than 60 per cent said they would be happy for their daughter to pursue a career in football as a player, coach or administrator.

More than 60 per cent also disagreed that football is a sport for boys in the UK-wide survey of more than 2,000 parents commissioned by SSE, sponsors of the Women’s FA Cup and Scottish Women’s Cup.

Donald Gillies, head of women’s football at the Scottish FA, said: “We greatly welcome the findings of this research as it corroborates and expands on the direction of development we are taking the girls’ and women’s game in Scotland along with our partners at SSE. We aim to speak to parents to tell them how welcoming and nurturing football can be for their daughters, and that it can provide an environment that will benefit them for a lifetime.”

The majority of parents said they want their children to be involved in as much sport as possible. Team work, fitness, self-confidence and increased self-esteem were identified by parents in the report as benefits of football for girls.