From Grassroots to Glory: Women’s Football is Thriving in Bournemouth

More young girls are watching football now than ever before after England Women’s won the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship.

AFC Bournemouth Women’s have seen an increased amount of support as a record-breaking crowd of 7,076 fans watched the team clinch the league title at the Vitality Stadium in March 2025.

Head of women’s football at AFC Bournemouth, Bruce Suraci, said: “Engaging with fans, typically young girls, who are able to look up and say actually I can be a professional women’s footballer, or to look at Helen and say, I can be a professional football coach is very centred to us.

“I can’t praise this club enough for the volume of support they have given to the women’s team – the motive is to grow the women’s game and get people down to support the team.

“Helen is a role model to all young girls in Bournemouth without a doubt.”

Manager of the Cherries, Helen Bleazard, said: “You have to give credit to Bill Foley, the owner, he’s been really backing the women’s team – in recent years we’ve seen women’s football teams dropping down leagues because of lack of funding and resources – so we can’t thank him enough.”

Foley has also provided access to a new £32 million training facility which helps both the women’s and the men’s side operate with high-quality resources.

Women’s football is on the rise at a grassroots level in Bournemouth too, with more women engaging with local teams such as Bournemouth Electric Women’s.

Bournemouth Electric player, Jodie Page, said: “It’s great to see fans showing up to our games and supporting us which is something I’ve always dreamt of since I was young.”

Player and assistant coach, Beth Bullock, said: “I can only see women’s football getting bigger and inspiring more young girls.”

Electric player, Chelsea Webb, said: “I would have loved to be in a team when I was younger, but it wasn’t allowed, we didn’t really have women’s football.

“But now when people say we can’t play, we say yes we can – the amount of girls showing up to training and coming to watch us play has been amazing – now we can show them what we can do.”