Former Tottenham Hotspur Women’s player Chloe Morgan and former referee Rebecca Welch joined young people from professional football club charities and representatives from across the world of football at a special Premier League Changemakers event on Tuesday (4 March), as part of the Premier League Charitable Fund’s commitment to supporting women and girls.
Held at the National Football Museum in partnership with PGMOL, the event saw both Morgan and Welch add changemaking shirts to the museum’s iconic Football Heritage Collection ahead of International Women’s Day (8 March)
Morgan’s 2017 Tottenham Hotspur Shirt, signed by 12-to-15-year-olds from 27 professional football club charities and emblazoned with the word ‘Changemakers’ as a commitment to promoting gender equity, will sit side-by-side with the shirt Welch wore when she made history as the first woman to referee a Premier League game.
Launched in 2021, Premier League Changemakers is delivered through the national Premier League Kicks and Premier League Inspires programmes and provides opportunities for girls and young women aged 11-18 to access leadership training alongside sport and physical activity.
Rebecca Welch said: “It’s a real honour to have my shirt added to the Football Heritage Collection. Premier League Changemakers is so important because it shows and encourages young girls to feel that there’s a place for them in our game, through new opportunities and in a variety of roles on and off the pitch. It’s amazing to be part of something that’s celebrating how far we’ve come whilst continuing to empower the next generation of girls and young women for the future.”
Designed to explore future opportunities to celebrate success and promote equity, equality and allyship in the game, the unveiling event saw Premier League Changemakers participants pose questions to both Morgan and Welch on the importance of recognising and celebrating women’s achievements in the world of football.
Former professional footballer Chloe Morgan said: “Premier League Changemakers is absolutely incredible. We see these inspirational girls representing football club charities from all across the country come together to make a difference. It’s really empowering.
“These girls are the future. This event is telling them, your voices matter, your experiences matter. To have these future leaders add their names to my shirt and create a piece of history that will go on display in the National Football Museum is unbelievable.”
Premier League Charitable Fund Chief Executive, Ruth Shaw OBE, said: “With Premier League community programmes supporting thousands of girls and young women every year, we know how important it is to promote equality, and champion positive role models, on and off the pitch.
“The unveiling of these two important shirts, worn by two inspirational women, represents a commitment to continuing to celebrate and empower women in the game. By bringing together young people and representatives from across the world of football in this special International Women’s Day event, we can explore the history and future of women’s football in this country and ensure we continue to support the development of personal skills and positive attitudes that are crucial for leadership and future careers.”
Alongside Morgan and Welch’s shirts, visitors to the museum will also have the chance to explore items of significant importance in the world of women’s football from the museum’s collection.
Highlights on display include Steph Houghton’s match worn shirt from her 150th Women’s Super League (WSL) appearance in 2021, Ellen White’s boots from her final WSL game in 2022, Sheila Parker’s England cap from her first official captaincy in 1972 and a souvenir programme from Dick, Kerr Ladies vs City of Manchester Ladies in 1955.
Dr. Gabrielle Heffernan, Director of Content at the National Football Museum said: “It was brilliant to welcome so many young people to the museum, to engage and empower them through our collection and the creative power of football. Inclusion and equity across the game is incredibly important to us as we strive to achieve equal representation of women across our content and programming. Congratulations to all the Changemakers and future leaders for a truly inspiring day.”
Forty-three professional football club charities across the Premier League and English Football League currently deliver Premier League Changemakers which has engaged more than 1,600 girls and young women to date.
Funded by the Premier League through the Premier League Charitable Fund, Premier League Changemakers also encourages participation in gender equality and mental health social action projects, to increase participants’ confidence and support the development of vital life skills.
Premier League Changemakers is just one example of the Premier League’s commitment to providing better accessibility and opportunities for girls and young women and enhancing player development from grassroots to the elite game.
The Premier League invested £21m into women’s and girls’ football between 2022-25. Within this is £10.5m for the grassroots game, including £6.3m for The FA’s network of Girls’ Emerging Talent Centres (ETCs) and £3m for a new strategy for the FA Women’s National League.
There are 72 ETCs open, which have increased the number of young female players in the England talent pathway from 1,722 to more than 6,000 (a 265 per cent increase) in under three years.
The Women’s Professional Leagues Limited, which is responsible for the top two tiers of the women’s game, is also supported by the Premier League through a co-operation and funding agreement, including a £20m interest-free loan.
PGMOL is also dedicated to advancing women in football. Since the implementation of the Elite Referee Development Plan (ERDP), funded by the Premier League, a number of targeted programmes have been created to increase opportunities throughout the pipeline for high-performing and talented officials. One of these is the Development Group – 10% of which is made up of women.
Development opportunities within PGMOL’s modernised and more fluid pathway are providing officials from the Women’s Select Group with regular chances to progress through the ranks, with a growing number of officials also now operating regularly across the men’s professional game, following in the footsteps of Sian Massey-Ellis MBE and Natalie Aspinall.
This is a pathway which enabled Welch herself to break new ground by becoming the first female referee to be appointed to a Premier League match, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of football officiating.
Greater support than ever is in place for officials within the Women’s Select Group, headed up by Welch, in place to develop and support the next generation of top officials. Just this year, four officials from the group were added to the FIFA List of International Referees – a testament to PGMOL’s commitment to identifying and fostering talent.
To find out more, please visit: www.premierleague.com.