Millwall Community Trust's (MCT) Girls and Project Support Delivery Officer Merle Redhead Ling spoke to the Premier League about how Premier League Kicks is inspiring the next generation of female footballers.
Through the Premier League Kicks programme, Millwall Community Trust provides free weekly football sessions, youth work, mentoring opportunities workshops, social action and volunteering projects with the end goal of creating opportunities for young people to develop skills and improve their confidence.
Four days before the victorious Lionesses retained the UEFA EURO 2025 title, girls representing Millwall and other professional clubs across the country travelled to England's training centre at St George's Park for the experience of a lifetime.
They were taking part in this year's Premier League Kicks Cup girls tournament, an event that celebrates the year-round work of Premier League Kicks and highlights how the programme provides opportunities for young females to play the game.
Merle Redhead Ling said: "Being here is a really good achievement for all the girls taking part. I think this is one of the first tournaments where we have taken them overnight and given them the whole experience of being in such a amazing place where women and men are treated equally.
"The girls were watching the Euros semi-finals on the way up and they were so ecstatic. Then they realise that they are in the place where their idols have walked and where they put in the work. This is the place where the change has happened and that they can now put in the change back at home. It raises their aspirations.
"You can see on their faces and the pictures they've taken, this will provide them with memories that last a lifetime. It's so good for them to know where the end goal is, if they want to continue playing football, this is where they could possibly end up.
"Premier League Kicks and tournaments like this gives them a sense of purpose, a sense of why they do it. It shows them what they are capable of. Being around other girls from across the country gives them not only targets on and off the pitch, it gives them a football family.
"Watching them here today, I feel pride. It's amazing knowing that I've coached some of these girls since they were 10. I'm with them every Wednesday and they have come so far just to represent themselves, represent Millwall, represent women in general for Premier League Kicks especially."
To read the full story, visit: https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4364556/premier-league-kicks-cup-2025-girls-tournament
