10 Jun 2026
Women aged between 30 and 66 are improving their fitness, confidence and camaraderie as part of football training sessions taking place in London Colney and St Albans.
Launched in September 2022, Empower Women’s Football is run by LeeAnna’s Wish CIC, a Black-led community organisation based in the Cottonmill and Sopwell area of St Albans.
Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, LeeAnna’s Wish provides inclusive activities and regular events that promote creativity, connection, and social inclusion – especially for residents who may otherwise experience isolation or exclusion – including empowering local women through football.
Their sessions – on Saturday afternoons at the Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre and at Cotlandswick on Thursday evenings – welcome women from all faiths, backgrounds and levels of fitness and ability. No prior football experience is necessary and Saturday sessions are run by a FA-qualified coach.
They have even featured in a best-selling book, The Homecoming: The Lionesses and Beyond, about the England women’s team’s journey to victory in the Euros, with author Jane Purdon attending their Saturday sessions.
At the recent St Albans City FC Summer 6ixes tournament, Empower won the inaugural plate, beating Harvesters Blues 2-1.
In a bid to understand the obvious appeal of the scheme, and what makes it so special, we spoke to a diverse mix of players of varying ages and experience.
Freelance insight analyst Gina Lee-Young, 52, said there were no opportunities for girls to become involved in football when she was growing up.
“I loved watching football from a young age and grew up supporting my home team in Hamburg. Once I moved to the UK, I became a Chelsea supporter and would often watch matches at Stamford Bridge, which wasn’t far from where I lived at the time. In recent years I have become equally passionate about the Chelsea women’s team and the Lionesses and often take my teenage daughter to matches – inspiring the next generation.”
She joined Empower two and a half years ago after an elbow injury brought her tennis-playing to an end: “When I turned 50 it made me reflect on my passions in life. I knew I needed a new sporting outlet and football was ideal as it didn’t involve aggravating my tennis elbow and it was a sport I’ve always loved.
“Everyone has been so kind and welcoming and it’s like a big family. We have a very busy WhatsApp group and there are often social activities like pub visits and birthday tournaments which have brought us all closer. I’ve even been invited to the wedding of one of my teammates!
“It’s a great feeling being part of a team and we have a lot of fun together, both on and off the pitch. Playing football also gets your fitness levels up without it feeling like exercise. I have a newfound respect for professional footballers – a full-size pitch is much larger than it appears on TV and requires a lot of running!
“My instinct is always to go forward and so I’ve found myself in midfield and upfront quite a lot. Having come to football so late on, I feel I still have a lot of improving to do.
“Additionally, it can open up other opportunities – I’ve become quite involved in the organisational side; helping with running friendlies, tournaments and planning formations for matches.
On top of this, I’ve taken an online FA coaching course which has expanded my skill set and helped me gain a better understanding of the game. I feel lucky to have found something so fulfilling, even if it has taken me until my 50s to do so!”
Debbie Ewenla, 30, a chartered town planner, has been playing football since she was at secondary school, and decided to find a local team when she moved back home to St Albans from the Solomon Islands, where she had used the game to engage young girls in community development projects.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching football, I am an avid Arsenal supporter, and I was even part of an after-school club at high school called Arsenal Double Club. I was able to watch the women’s football quarter final at the London Olympics, which was my first time watching a professional women’s football team.
“After finding LeeAnna’s Wish online and reading the story of how it all started, it felt like a good match for me. It’s been a great way to meet women from different backgrounds and abilities, gain training from experienced coaches, and improve my fitness, skills and confidence whilst playing competitive football in a fun, safe and inclusive manner.”
She said she was encouraged to actively participate and have fun from the outset, even though she was quite nervous during her first session: “Whether I hit the ball or miss the ball, the ladies always give me positive support and enthusiasm. It’s really helped to build my confidence on the pitch and boost my love for the game and the team.”
Despite previously playing left-back, she has embraced other positions since joining Empower: “I have been encouraged to play in the striker position and I really enjoyed it! I have also discovered that I can play well in goal which was a great surprise.”
Company director Christina Quinton-Miah, 46, joined Empower in May 2024 after seeing an advert for over-30s football where all abilities were welcome, which proved a particularly attractive proposition because she hadn’t played for more than 33 years.
“From the beginning, the team were warm, welcoming, and incredibly encouraging. Thanks to their support, my fitness and skills have improved immensely. As a child, I played five-a-side football at primary school and later became an assistant coach for my daughter’s team, but I had never imagined I would return to playing myself.
“As a child, I always played as a striker, but at Empower I initially chose to play in defence because it felt like less pressure. However, the team and coach encouraged me to play up front during my first tournament – and I scored my first competitive goal!
“Another new talent I’ve discovered is playing in goal. I’ve become more agile, more confident, and far less fearful. It has been such a huge personal achievement for me, and the friendship and excitement from the team made the experience even more special.
“Empower offers encouragement, a warm welcome, a real sense of community and belonging, and opportunities for everyone, regardless of experience or ability. With so many accessible ways to get involved, it truly is open to all.”
GP Naz Hoda, 43, has been living in St Albans for the past 13 years since relocating from Surrey. Despite a footballing background in her youth, the demands of medical school, marriage and kids meant she didn’t kick a ball for years.
“I have always been quite sporty and have loved playing football since I was seven. With no brothers, and a sister who had no interest in the game, the wall was my training buddy.
“My first real experience of playing competitively was in my all-girls secondary school. My amazing maths teacher started our school’s first-ever football team. We played other local schools and one of my fondest childhood memories will always be captaining the team and scoring the winning penalty in a shoot-out to progress us to the next round of the cup competition.
“I had discovered how exciting and fun playing football in a team could be – it was so much better than kicking a ball against the wall on my own!”
She began playing regularly again after spotting an advert for Empower’s Thursday evening sessions: “As the kids were a bit older and the sessions were very near to my house I decided to give it a go and I loved it from the beginning.
“Initially it was just four of us using a third of a five-a-side pitch but everyone was so friendly, and it was over 30s which meant I had a chance of keeping up!
“Over the following three years Empower has grown and grown, and we now have over 80 players including a mix of women who have played before and new players.
“We’ve recently moved to a nine-a-side pitch to accommodate everyone and have added two extra coach-led training sessions on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I am now a part of the organising committee helping to arrange matches and mini tournaments against other local women’s teams.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the Empower ladies. I don’t think it is possible to find a nicer, more supportive and more fun bunch of ladies to play football with every week. There is a healthy competitiveness when we play, but the camaraderie and banter is incredible.
“I will always be so grateful to [organisers] Julie [d’Adamo] and Shelley [Hayles] for bringing Empower football into my life – it is literally the highlight of my week!”
Stef Harvey, 54, a healthcare support worker in elective surgery, joined Empower after recovering from a transformational brain injury: “I have improved in so many areas of fitness: balance, individual, gross and fine motor skills, getting the messages to my muscles more quickly and reawakening my reflexes, meaning I could adapt and alter my actions based on ever-changing situations. All this was completely lost when I had my brain injury. Empower’s football has challenged me to turn up and work on these elements every week.”
Growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s, she wasn’t allowed to play football at school or in the community, so took her passion underground, learning skills and tricks with other children in her street.
Flash-forward to her 50th year, and she was looking for an activity to enjoy with kind, patient, positive and strong people to improve her recovery when she discovered Empower.
“It’s like finding a family that all likes the same thing. I been through many different life-changing situations and everyone has gone through them with me as well. That’s on a backdrop of my brain injury which has put me in a unique position of a daily struggle with cognitive ability and physical challenges which my teammates have embraced, gone out of their way to understand and not judge me on.
“Women are such a powerful force when all together and can lift each other in a way that men or mixed clubs don’t. We are so positive and caring and to wrap that around an activity that I love, but generally can only watch because of societal barriers, is an uplifting opportunity to be part of something bigger and awesome.
“I look forward to becoming more than I am today. There are times when I think I can’t do it today, but after I’ve shown up I just feel amazing and can’t believe that I wasn’t going to.
“The point is, do you want to be where people really care about you as an individual with a story and a history but help you wipe all of that out of your head and just do something amazing together? It’s such a great atmosphere. There is always laughter, always care and there is always joy and that is the joy of football.”
Helen Hosier, 53, a British Sign Language communication support worker, working in the deaf community and supporting deaf students in college, joined the team when she was 50 having never played a second of football before.
“The only experience I had was through watching my sons train and play and by watching regular professional and semi-professional games.
“I tend to play in defence or in goal as I haven’t the skills to be a midfielder and due to my son being a goalkeeper for Leighton Town FC I have watched a lot of defending/goalkeeping so feel this is what I understand the best. I’m not sure I have discovered my talents yet, I just love being involved in any way I can in a group that is encouraging and of mixed ability.”
She said playing has improved her coordination, balance and cardiovascular fitness, but it’s the bonds between the players which really makes Empower stand out: “We are now a large group of women playing different days in different groups, but I feel I can join any group and not feel out of place and know half of the ladies there. We all get along, support each other on and off the pitch, socialise and I could not have met a better group of ladies.
“I would recommend joining as it is fun, a great way to make friends, improves confidence and fitness and is like being part of a family.”
The last two seasons of Empower have been sponsored by St Albans Lions Club. LeeAnna’s Wish are now seeking additional sponsors for the coming season. If you are interested, contact leeannaswish@gmail.com
LeeAnna’s Wish will be celebrating its fifth birthday on Sunday June 28 with a special day at the Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre, where Empower will be playing a round robin on the astro pitch from 2-5pm.
This programme has been supported by The National Lottery Community Foundation, Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation and County Councillor, Sandy Walkington.
To find out more about getting involved with Empower, visit www.leeannaswish.org/whatwedo/empowerwomensfootball
