Last Monday the FA announced a new ‘Gameplan for Growth’ plan in an attempt to strengthen women’s football in the UK. Focus will be on developing talent and infrastructure, increasing the number and diversity of women’s coaches, referees and administrators and changing perceptions and social barriers to taking part. Enhancing the profile and value of the England team and improving the commercial prospects of women’s football has also been highlighted.

While the new plans are welcomed my many, there is scepticism from some about whether there will be much benefit at the grassroots level of women’s football, where they say more support has been needed for some time. We asked readers involved in the sport to share their views about the FA proposals and tell us what more they feel needs to be done.

‘I only played football once at school, and loved it, but no rules or skills were ever taught’

Sian Pratchett started a women’s football team in Oxfordshire in 2016. The Jackdaws have 15 regular players, plus another dozen or so who play when they can. She welcomes the FA’s plan, especially to increase coverage on the national stage. “It was the coverage of the 2015 World Cup that inspired me and a friend to set up our club The Jackdaws. We weren’t sure who would be interested, but now we have a kit and joined the Oxfordshire FA Women’s Small Sided League to challenge ourselves further.”

One problem Sian has encountered is a lack of balance in local leagues for teams starting up. “The advert for the league noted “no previous experience necessary,” but if I had joined the league without any football experience, I would certainly have found it very off-putting. Some of our games have been extremely unbalanced as the level of abilities vary so much. We’ve been matched up against established teams that have been playing for years, resulting in lots of mis-matches benefitting neither winner or loser.” Sian thinks there needs to be more local leagues that are pitched for less experienced players. “The problem is that currently there are just not enough start up clubs like us out there.”

Sian believes that the proposed 1,000 new clubs for primary school-aged girls is key. “Starting young is essential. For too long the link with schools to make sure girls have access to football has been overlooked. I only played football once at school, and loved it, but no rules or skills were ever taught. Football needs to be played at an early age in PE lessons. This would improve girls’s confidence to continue the sport or join later when they are adults.”

The possibility of mixed teams is another thing Sian says should be looked into. “My husband remembers a girl playing with their youth team who had to stop playing with them when she turned nine. She was one of their best players. Did she manage to find another girls team to continue playing? There are lots of stories of girls pretending to be boys to continue playing football. I was able to play with my husband’s eleven-a-side football team in a tournament in Germany last year. You don’t see this often enough in the UK.”

The Jackdaws with Sian in the middle at the back Photograph: Sian Pratchett

‘It’s a shame it has taken so long’

Harriet Muncey plays for The Comets in the Greater London Womens’ League North Division 2. She thinks it’s great that there is a plan to support the growth of women’s football but that the gap between the men’s and women’s game has not been helped by the time it has taken to have a plan in place. “It is a shame it has taken so long. The lack of funding and media coverage for the women’s game, while the men’s game goes from strength to strength and rolls around in obscene amounts of money, means any plan to bridge the gap even slightly is a huge challenge.”

Harriet believes wealthy clubs have a responsibility to help the women’s game. “Manchester City are a good example of recent investment, but there are other teams with global brands that have disappointingly chosen not to. More needs to be done so that standalone women’s clubs can generate income to at least become fully professional and avoid falling by the wayside.”

At grassroots level Harriet feels there are many more opportunities for girls and women to play than when she was a child, but she has encountered sexism when participating in FA coaching and refereeing courses. “There have also been cases where pitch availability is given to mens’ teams over women’s and weaker referees have been assigned to women’s games instead of men’s.

While Harriet hopes the new participation plans are a step in the right direction, she reserves judgement on whether it will be successful until she has seen an improvement in funding and infrastructure. “Commitment to developing the women’s game needs to be demonstrated at all levels, from grassroots to the top tier. The appetite for women’s football definitely exists, but we need better visibility of the players currently at the top of the game in order to inspire the next generation of female footballers.”

The Comets with Harriet 2nd row 4th from left Photograph: Harriet Muncey

‘It should promote the belief that girls can get to the top of the game too’

Holly playing for Handsworth girls at the weekend Photograph: Mel

Mel lives in south Yorkshire and her eight-year-old daughter Holly has played football since she was four. She started out with boys at a weekly session, and joined the Handsworth girls team as soon as she could at the age of seven. Holly also trains at the Miguel Llera academy in Sheffield once a week. Mel believes the new “Gameplan for Growth” plan can encourage more girls to take part in football from an early age. “My daughter has played actively for five years now. She loves the game, and is so happy playing for the local U-10s team every week.”

Holly’s ambition is to play for England, and Mel admits she has never heard any other girls have this as their goal. “That’s why any new plans are important, no matter how ambitious they might seem. If more girls are encouraged to take part, they will start believing they can get to the very top of the game too.”

Mel believes a lack of money in the women’s game and a lack of belief among young girls that they can become professional footballers has held the sport back. “The new plan has been a long time coming, but now that it’s here I can do nothing but firmly support it.”

‘Plans to increase the number of girls teams are much needed’

Sarah’s daughter plays for the local football team in Somerset. There is just one other girl in the team and the remainder is made up of boys. “ She is playing for the under 10s so the physical difference between the boys and the girls at this stage is not apparent. However, over the next few years we may have to look for an all girls side for my daughter to play in. The nearest girls team is a 35 minute drive, and she will definitely miss playing with her school friends. Plans to increase the number of girls teams at a young age are welcome and much needed.”

Sarah thinks the a lack of girls playing football at a young age is a problem. “There’s definitely a lack of numbers. Girls still don’t think that they can play football and associate it with a boy’s sport. They are therefore reluctant to try it. That’s why a radical rethink at grassroots level is the way forward, and hopefully the new plans will have a positive impact on future generations.”

‘There are lower league teams out there fighting for this game with no recognition’

Freya’s kit all ready for another Hertford Town game Photograph: Freya Rampley

When she was six-years-old, Freya Rampley remembers seeing a poster on her classroom door for a local football team looking for players. “I’d tried literally every other sort of club, but football is the one I’ve stuck with. I bugged my mum so much that she finally took me. The manager of that team is now the manager of Hertford Town Ladies where I play now.”

Freya has been concerned about the state of the lower leagues of women’s football for a long time, and is sceptical about how effective the FA’s new plan will be at grassroots level. “It’s all a good idea until you look at all the FA women’s Premier League, eastern regions women’s football league and county league teams failing to complete fixtures due to player shortages and most completely folding altogether. Last season saw two teams from my league pull out before the first game was even played, and our reserves having to pull out of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire league due to lack of funding.”

Freya points out that it’s not just coaching that needs financial support. “You can fund coaching and so on but what about the lower league teams that are in it just to have fun? What help do they get? I pay £200 plus boots and travel expenses every season to play under a manager who has coached me from the age of six because he wants to see this game grow. Where is his funding? There are lower league teams out there fighting and paying their way for this game without getting any recognition.”

‘It’s still not clear how any of this is going to be achieved’

Louise Walker is an ex-player and now coaches the Watford Ladies U-13 team. While she thinks the plans are ambitious and exciting, she is cautious because of the empty proposals and promises of the past. “Some previous schemes and ideas were implemented half heartedly. For any real change to happen the FA need to invest heavily and empower women to be role models at grassroots level. The new plans are ambitious and exciting, but it’s not clear how any of this is going to be achieved.”

Louise during her early playing days Photograph: Louise Walker

Louise started playing when she was 13 in 1994. “I wrote to the FA and asked if there was a local team. To their credit they sent me a booklet with lists of clubs and contact numbers and that’s how I came across Slough Ladies. From there I went to Denham United, a self sufficient Hertfordshire club that is still running successfully today with female teams for all ages.” Louise was also part of the Hounslow Harriers team in the 2002 film Bend it Like Beckham. “I still believe that film had a big impact on the participation levels in women’s football, and gave the sport some much needed mainstream media coverage.”

Having finished playing actively, Louise bemoans the lack of encouragement women receive if they want to remain in the game. “There has been little encouragement to get involved with coaching and refereeing. Women’s football has been the fastest growing sport for many years now, but where have all these players gone? More needs to be done to galvanise the generation that retired. We don’t need inspiring, just offered opportunities to become involved again.”

Coaching Watford u13s at the weekend Photograph: Louise Walker

Louise thinks things have improved massively in terms of people’s attitudes, but feels the women’s game still stands uncomfortably in the shadow of the men’s game. “It’s hard to have equality with men’s football being the comparison benchmark. Women’s football needs to stand on its own. That’s easier said than done. But a start would be that every professional club should have a women’s team, especially those reaping the rewards of the Premier League. For me, Arsenal have always been leading the way with their attitude, funding and support. Simple acts like team photos with the men’s team make the ladies team look more part of the club, and not just standing in the shadows with the same kit on.”