Limehouse Laces
There are two ways to play football: to win and to enjoy the sport.
Limehouse Laces is all about the latter. It doesn't matter at what level the girls play, no one will put them on the bench. Ultimately what we do is encourage girls to play sport and enjoy doing it.
Taking part is more important than winning.
My role at the club is simply as a volunteer. Two inspirational women, Lisa Payne and Sarah Lang, started the club five years ago simply because they wanted to arrange a safe place where their daughters could play.
It won Charter Standard Female Football Club of the Year 2015.
This Girl Can
Watch from 2 minutes, 18 seconds. You'll see some of the girls talk about their experience at the club. Many girls don’t play sport because they feel they are inadequate, not sporty enough or lack the skills.
We don't let that put them off playing. Two million less women than men are active in sport in the UK. Limehouse Laces goes some way towards redressing the balance. Not to win, but to enjoy being active throughout their lives and to build their self confidence.
Learning is about pushing boundaries and we always focus on effort rather than results. We call it a virtuous football circle. If you make a mistake no one criticises you because you tried your hardest, but you learn something from that mistake, feel a bit more confident then take a bigger risk and learn more, which makes you feel even more confident.
Every girl gets a shirt, sweatshirt and her own ball so she can practice at home.
All thanks to sponsorship by Comic Relief.
We also arrange outings such as this trip to a trampoline centre.
And there's a club for older women called Vintage Laces on Wednesday evenings at 7pm at Stepney Green Astro. Do come along if you want to pull out a pair of old trainers, have a laugh and play a bit of football.