Role Models For The Next Generation
Karesha Iton, 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 all working to support the next generation of women in football. Karesha Iton 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?
My name is Karesha Iton, and I was born and raised in east London. I started with Goals4Girls in 2019, when I participated in the Tango League tournament that we went on to win. Tango League is a street football five-a-side tournament where players between the ages of 16 and 25 demonstrate their skills and talents.
Since then, I have been involved in many projects with Goals4Girls as both a player and a volunteer coach. I first got involved in football when I was five years old, as I have four older brothers who played. Ever since I was little, I would always watch them and decided I wanted to play like them - so I started playing, and I have never regretted it.
I first played with youth teams like Loass FC in Waltham Forest when I was eight years old and then moved up through the years, until I was eventually playing for Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace FC. While playing at Tottenham, I faced many stereotypical barriers that knocked my confidence. As a young black girl who is passionate about the sport, many people thought I was aggressive, which sometimes made me feel down because all I wanted to do was play football and have fun.
When I was 16 years old, I signed for the Crystal Palace FC reserve team, which is when I started to really find myself. I was given opportunities that I had not had before, which was sometimes overwhelming, but exciting for me, as it gave me confidence.
One highlight of my journey was getting the call-up to the Crystal Palace FC Women’s first team and travelling away to Coventry with them at the age of 17. A year later, I faced an injury resulting in wearing an air cast boot for eight weeks. This knocked my confidence massively and made me not want to play football again. I stopped playing for two years. In 2020, I decided to play again for the social side of the sport, and realised how much I still loved the game. I could not believe I gave up football. I made the decision to work on myself to get fit and back to the standard I used to play at (or even better), and that is when things really started to work out for me.
In January 2023, I signed for Billericay Town Women, who play in the National League, and this was a massive accomplishment for me. A highlight of 2023 was when we were crowned the winners of the Essex Cup. This meant so much to me as I had only been with the club a few months but had learned so much from the amazing coaches and teammates around me.
Why did you start working in your community? Why do you think your work with girls is important?
I decided to start working in my community because when I was younger, there were not many opportunities for girls playing sports. Growing up, I was the only girl amongst all boys playing, and I want to change this for the future. I am motivated to do that as I want to help create a safe space for girls to showcase their talents and give them the opportunities that I did not have when I was younger.
Working with girls is very important to me because I did not have many role models who were women growing up. I believe I can be a positive role model for the younger generation and help grow their confidence to believe in themselves. I want to show them that they can do anything they put their mind to.
What did you try to capture with your photos? Was there a deeper meaning to the photos?
The photos were taken in a few different places, including my two-day coaching module for the adidas Breaking Barriers Project, the Goals4Girls Development Centre, and at Billericay Town Women training sessions.
Most of the photos were taken of the participants in the Goals4Girls Development Centre. I have seen them grow over time, and I know some struggle with self-confidence. To see them doing something they love while having fun in a safe place is something that means a lot to me.
I wanted to show how even when the girls had a long day at school and most probably felt very fatigued by the heat, they still decided to show up and give their all to the session. Everyone has their own story behind football and what is happening in their personal lives, so it is lovely for us all to come together as a community and do something we love.
As a Champion for the adidas Breaking Barriers Project, these images are heart-warming because growing up, I did not get to experience a Development Centre like Goals4Girls, which is woman-led so it is very inspiring to me, and I am learning a lot.
The photo of two players holding hands is my favourite because it shows how by working together as a team, we are able to achieve great things and create memorable moments on and off the pitch. These players have only played together a handful of times, but are comfortable enough to create new friendships that will improve the morale and chemistry of the team.
What role does football play in your community and your culture or society? What are some of the prevailing challenges for women and girls in your communities?
Football is important to my community because it is a great way to bring everyone together and meet new people. Football plays a massive part in building character and gives players and coaches purpose by continuing to develop new skills and relationships. Football is important to me because it allows me to express myself without being judged. The pitch is one of the very few places where I feel like I do not need to worry about anything else. I find most of the football community feels the same. We all want to learn from each other, enjoy ourselves, socialise together, and win.
Women’s football has grown in my community since I was younger, but there is still a lot of work that can be done. A challenge for girls in my community is not having enough teams. If there is a well-developed player, there is little room for her to progress to higher teams due to limited resources. Another challenge that women and girls in the community face is starting football later than boys because of the limited opportunities. Many girls are also pushed into sports like netball and dance over football. This means that women and girls have not developed confidence on the pitch as early as boys.
What are the opportunities for women and girls to play football in your community and in the UK?
In my community, we have a few girls' football teams but not as many as necessary to push girls on, due to limited resources and facilities. In the UK, I believe we have a wider range of football opportunities for women and girls, as it has now been showcased much more since England won the 2021 EUROS. That was very big for the country, inspiring many people, from children to adults. To achieve something so special that the England Men’s team has not yet achieved was amazing. Women’s football in the UK has grown over the years, and now women’s teams are selling out stadiums as people are recognising the talent that these women and girls have on the pitch.
What do you think the future looks like for football in your community and the UK? What do you want to change? How would you improve gender equality?
I believe women’s football will continue to grow over the years, but it still has a way to go, and it will take time. I would like to lower the percentage of girls that drop out of football by the age of 16 by creating more educational pathways within the sport.
Since the England Women won the EUROS, there has been more coverage and money put into the women’s game, however, we are still far behind the men who have never won it. The financial side of football plays a massive part in gender equity. Women’s teams are not funded to the same level as the men’s teams, even though they are playing in the highest leagues in the UK. I experience this playing in Tier 3 (National League) because I train late some nights and do not drive, while also working a full-time job. Even though I am getting paid, it is not enough for me to survive on. Compare this to the men, who have the opportunity to train during the day and have their travel and food expenses covered.
More women coaches and managers would improve gender equality in football, and, ultimately, would grow the sports community as a whole. My club really believes in all its girls, from Under-8s all the way through to the first team. They are bringing in many inspirational women to continue to make us players feel valued.
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?
The adidas Breaking Barriers Project has allowed me to learn various leadership skills and become much more confident in coaching, which was one of my goals to achieve for the project. I understand gender equity better now and how important it is to have a safe space for players.
This project has given me the opportunity to meet new people from all around the world and learn about their communities and cultures, which has been a wholesome experience. It has also made me very grateful as not everyone will get to experience this.
My ambitions for the future are to change how women’s football is viewed compared to men’s football. I would like it to stop being called a ‘men’s’ game when our women’s national team is accomplishing things the men never have. I would like to be a positive role model that young girls and women look up to and aspire to be like, by giving them the confidence and reassurance that they are capable of being something special in the sports community. I love to give back to my community. I would like to open a sports centre one day that is focused on giving women and girls a safe place to learn, grow, and succeed.
As a footballer, I did not have many women role models to look up to, and I want that to be different for younger generations.
Want to join us in breaking barriers for women and girls in Europe? Join the adidas Breaking Barriers Academy here.
