Creating A New World

Leanne Bates, England

We have teamed up with the adidas Breaking Barriers Project to share the inspiring stories of 16 Champions across Europe as they advocate for women and girls in sport within their local communities. The first instalment of this series showcases six Champions from the UK, Italy, and Poland who are advocating for the next generation of women in football. Leanne Bates is an adidas Breaking Barriers Champion and coach for Goals4Girls in London, UK.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about how you got involved in football? What has your football journey been like up until now?

I am Leanne Bates and I grew up in the northeast of England but have been living in London for nearly two years. I first got involved in football when I was very young and started playing with my brother and dad down at our local cage. I realised I was better than both of them (!!!), so I did not want to stop. Now, I am 24 years old and coaching the next generation of footballers at Goals4Girls, which I have been so lucky to do since March. 

Growing up in the northeast of England was not the easiest of rides, but we always had football. Whether that was playing in between rusty goal posts on a pitch with no grass or using jumpers for goalposts, we would always find a way to play football. 

I was usually the only girl on the pitch. This massively helped me build resilience because even though I was on the pitch, I never really was. The boys never passed to me, the coach never started me, and the parents were always questioning why their son was subbed off for a girl. 

It took me giving 110% in every training session, every warm-up, and every game for them to even consider passing to me. I remember the distinct moment of scoring the winning goal in a school match by dribbling past two opponents that tried their best to take me out. My teammates’ perspective changed from ‘why should I pass her the ball?’ to ‘we need to pass her the ball because she can actually play football.’ 

Why did you start working in your community? Why do you think your work with girls is important?

The reason I started coaching girls’ football was because a younger version of myself needed that coach on the sideline cheering me on, because I did not cheer loud enough for myself. These girls deserve to always have someone in their corner. I never want a girl to question if they deserve to be on the pitch, ever. 

What do you want to change about football in your community and the UK? How would you improve gender equality?

In the world today, being a woman in football means having to not only be at the top of your game, but it also means you must have the resilience and mental strength to break down barriers for yourself. I know football has the power to bring people together and closer to their true selves. I have worked with differently-abled people who often isolate themselves from the world and nurtured them through football to break out of isolation and into the community. 

Spotlighting stories like mine is important because I think back to the younger version of me that did not have anyone to look up to, nor any examples of what is possible, or coaches that encouraged me to play sport.

It is important because young girls and women still do not have a safe space to experience the power and beauty of playing football.

It is important because queer women in football still have to worry about their physical, emotional, and mental safety.

It is important because there are systems and practices in sports that are built on excluding certain communities from being able to participate.

It is important because young girls in football have a high dropout rate due to a lack of community and support systems.

Spotlighting my journey means I get to show young girls what is possible. I get to show them that there is a world where they can play football and not worry about their identity, their safety, and whether they will have a coach that really cares about them.

I know there is a world that we can create where everyone gets the opportunity to play football, a world where people don’t have to think twice about whether they will be safe or whether a coach will respect their identity. We can create a world where playing football is not a privilege, but a right. 

What did you try to capture with your photos? Are there any stories connected with any of the individuals you photographed?

These photos were taken at our Goals4Girls Development Centre sessions that we have on Friday evenings.

In these photos are a group of incredible, determined, and resilient girls that just love football. Their love for the game is what unites them. It is what makes them show up every week with big smiles on their faces, excited to get on with their session. With each girl in these photos, I have seen the same growth in confidence and belief that they can and will play football, no matter who has an opinion on that. 

Was there a deeper meaning to the photos? What do they mean to you as a Champion of the adidas Breaking Barriers Project? 

I wanted to capture how happy these girls are when they are just playing football in a safe space where we can really inspire them and show them the sky is the limit. Teaching them how to play football is one thing, but the most important thing I can teach them is to always back themselves.

We have three incredible coaches: Sab, Sara, and Millie. The passion, enthusiasm, and commitment we have for shaping the next generation of footballers is something that I could talk about for hours, because I know we have all faced the same barrier growing up: simply just being a girl in a male-dominated space. We use this to ensure the girls at Goals4Girls take up the space in football, not because we think they should be in those spaces, but because they deserve to be. 

Why is football important for your community? Why is it important to you?

It goes without saying that football is a powerful tool that can be used to change lives and I have lived experience of how much it can change someone’s life. Without football, I would not be the person I am today. It has been the avenue with which I have been able to deepen my understanding of the world and myself. Yes, it has taught me how to score “top bins”, but it has also provided me with a safe space when I needed it the most. 

Most importantly, however, football helped me transition into adulthood with tools I never knew I had until I came face to face with challenging situations. Looking back on these situations, I would have never been able to make it through without football. Football to me is more than just a ninety-minute game with an offside rule I have had to explain countless times to men. 

What impact has the adidas Breaking Barriers Project had on your journey as a leader and change-maker in women’s football? What are your ambitions for the future?

If I could talk about the impact the adidas Breaking Barriers Project has had on my journey as a leader and change-maker in women’s football, I would be talking for hours, so I am going to summarise it in one word: life-changing. The platform that adidas has given me to tell my story is something I will be eternally grateful for, but the biggest impact has been providing me with my mentor, Kimberlee Robertson. 

Kimberlee is more than a mentor to me. She is my role model and the only person who is always in my corner. The journey we have gone on together over the last year is incredible and I could never thank her enough for always believing in me when I could not. Without her, I would not have the confidence to share my story with the world to inspire the next generation. My ambition for the future is to keep inspiring the next generation of footballers. 

Want to join us in breaking barriers for women and girls in Europe? Join the adidas Breaking Barriers Academy here.