UCFB’s Global Institute of Sport (GIS) is to join Women in Football’s #GetOnside pledge by offering female Master’s students a scholarship package of fee discounts, work placements at football clubs and development opportunities.
The #GetOnside pledge initiative from Women in Football (WIF) encourages those within the game to pledge their support by taking one action that will contribute to an improvement for women and girls in the football industry to promote gender equality.
UCFB and GIS have pledged to offer 10 Women in the Game Scholarships in the form of a 15% tuition fee discount for Master’s courses and successful applicants will also get an opportunity to access personal and professional development opportunities. UCFB are working with football clubs from across the country to offer female student placements alongside their studies at university.
Women in football are fundamental to the success of the game, yet still experience barriers to their progress. Research by Women in Football has discovered that:
- Almost four out of five WIF members (78%) want to see more gender diversity in boardrooms
- 71% want more support for the development of women in leadership roles
- Almost one in three (29%) have experienced social media abuse based on their gender
"We’re delighted to welcome UCFB's Global Institute of Sport to the #GetOnside family,” said Yvonne Harrison, CEO of Women in Football. “Incentivising women to participate in courses that are often male dominated will not only encourage more to study fantastic subjects, but will also bring diversity of thought into those learning environments. The added opportunity to gain access to work placements in football environments is also significant as they are hard to come by, particularly if you don’t know people in the industry, and the experience together with the qualification is key."
Anielka Pieniazek, UCFB’s Access & Widening Participation Manager, commented: “Allyship is key in supporting diversity and UCFB and the Global Institute of Sport (GIS) are proud to be involved with the Women in Football #GetOnside pledge to increase the number of female students at GIS and challenge football clubs from across the country to offer placements to students alongside their studies at GIS.
The aim of this initiative is to create an environment of opportunities that brings together female students and football clubs to produce exceptional results.”
GIS President, Sharona Friedman, commented: “I’m delighted that GIS is able to make this pledge and play our part in contributing to better and increased opportunities for women in the football industry. All of us at GIS have always championed our female students, alumni and staff, and as we move towards an increased diverse student and staff body, having the opportunity to make our degree programmes more accessible and improve student’s chances of success in the industry is something we’re pleased to be part of.”
