Manchester City are delighted to announce the launch of #SameGoals, a social media campaign to encourage more girls to play football whatever their background.

Manchester City are delighted to announce the launch of #SameGoals, a social media campaign to encourage more girls to play football whatever their background.

#SameGoals kicks off today with a social media video encouraging girls to send in footage that shows them scoring – or saving – a goal. The goal can be scored, or saved, anywhere using any kind of ball.

For every video the Club receives, we will send out a limited-edition football so that each girl can keep playing and growing their passion for the game. To enter, videos should be uploaded to Twitter or Instagram tagging @ManCity and using #SameGoals. *

Manchester City have a long history of driving girls’ participation in grassroots football. In the 2012/13 season – the season before the women’s team was relaunched – 19% of their City in the Community participants were female. Since 2014, this number has been on the rise and by the end of the 2016/17 season it stood at 46%.

However, research has found that on a national scale, the number of girls participating in football is still significantly lower than the participation rates for boys. The FA’s Gameplan for Growth revealed that in the 2016/17 season only 27% of children aged 5-15 who took part in football were female.

Earlier this week, as part of the #SameGoals launch, Manchester City women’s players Claire Emslie visited St. Kentigern’s Primary School to deliver a goal scoring masterclass and take part in a Q&A with students about their goals and what it takes to achieve your dreams.

On 1 April, the Club will celebrate a dedicated #SameGoals matchday when the women’s team plays Reading at home in FA Women’s Super League.

In January, the Club launched Same City, Same Passion to promote women’s football and highlight that the similarities between men’s and women’s football are far greater than the differences.

To build on the success of that campaign, Manchester City want to inspire the next generation of players.