Her Team, Her Future is a collaboration between Louhento Foundation and the Football Association of Finland, supported by the UEFA Foundation for Children as part of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 legacy programme. The initiative focuses on strengthening more accessible pathways into organised football for girls from ethnically diverse backgrounds by supporting the transition from low-threshold activities into club environments.

Research shows that these girls participate in organised sport at significantly lower rates than their Finnish-born peers. Many face cultural, practical and structural barriers when considering or attempting to join a team. Yet the interest in football among this group remains strong, and the potential for positive change is evident.

How we build the path

The programme focuses on strengthening the transition from low-threshold activities into club football. This transition is a key moment for girls and families, and often the point at which practical and cultural questions arise. By deepening understanding, testing solutions together and supporting clubs in everyday implementation, the programme aims to make this step more welcoming, predictable and accessible. The work unfolds in three phases:

Understanding girls’ everyday realities

Interviews, discussions with families and qualitative data help clarify what supports participation and what creates hesitation, particularly at the transition point. These insights show that the challenges girls face are not an unsolvable mix but can be grouped into clear, practical categories that clubs can meaningfully address.

Co-creating and piloting practical solutions with girls, club representatives and experts

This phase supports clubs in recognising their own role in inclusion and reassessing established routines. Together we explore culturally sensitive approaches, clearer and more supportive onboarding steps and ways to strengthen continuity between low-threshold activities and club environments so that the next step feels understandable and safe.

Solutions developed in these sessions are piloted in real club settings, allowing clubs to test, learn and refine before wider implementation.

Providing tools that clubs can use in their daily wor

The project gathers all learnings into a practical playbook and offers support as clubs embed inclusive practices into their daily operations. The aim is not temporary activities but long-term development in behaviours, structures and environments that help every girl feel welcome and able to stay.

A future we’re working towards

The long-term goal of the programme is straightforward: to make it easier for girls from different backgrounds to take part in football, feel welcome and stay involved. When the transition into club football becomes more understandable, predictable and supportive, more girls are able to continue.

• Girls gain confidence and a sense of belonging as early experiences become positive and safe.

• Clubs strengthen their ability to welcome players from diverse backgrounds and to build practices that support families with different needs.

• Communities and the wider system benefit from more equal and accessible pathways into organised sport, helping football reflect the diversity of the society around it.

The Louhento Foundation is proud to support this work as part of our mission to promote wellbeing, equality and meaningful participation for children and young people.

If you would like to learn more about the project or explore ways to get involved, please get in touch with us at: info@louhento.fi

Further information
UEFA Foundation – Legacy for the Future
Football Association of Finland – Legacy programme announcement (in Finnish

Photo credit: Mira Lönnqvist