Building Safe and Sustainable Growth in the Women’s Super League
When the women’s professional game in England began accelerating at pace with increased visibility, commercial investment and online exposure, it also brought a growing recognition of risk. Greater platforms create greater opportunity, but without the right safeguards, they can also leave athletes exposed.
Our work with the Women's Super League began with an early conversation with Sandy Gill, then Head of Safeguarding for the women’s professional game. The challenge was clear: how do you support rapid growth in women’s football while ensuring that environments remain safe, healthy and sustainable for the people within them?
From Strategy to Practice
Together, we designed a programme that moved beyond policy compliance and focused on real, human connection. At its core was a preventative, athlete-centred approach: connecting players directly with support services, and equipping both players and staff with the tools to recognise harm early, understand boundaries, and take action when something doesn’t feel right.
We delivered Creating Healthy Football Environments training to players and staff in every WSL and Championship club, prioritising in-person delivery. Being physically present mattered, it allowed us to build trust with clubs, create genuine touchpoints with athletes, and embed relationships rather than deliver one-off education.
To ensure the work was truly athlete-led, we recruited former professional footballer Lauren McMurchie to deliver the programme. Lauren brought deep credibility: experience of the game before full professionalisation, insight into its rapid evolution, and ongoing connection to today’s players. That lived understanding allowed the sessions to resonate in a way that external or purely theoretical delivery never could.
Impact Across the League
The response from players and staff has been overwhelmingly positive:
100% of participants felt the facilitators created a safe space
98.1% found the session useful
96.7% would recommend the training
Participants consistently reflected that they would be more aware of what teammates might be going through, more mindful of boundaries, culture and language, and more confident to check in, offer support, and speak up earlier. Many reported being more likely to challenge behaviour that doesn’t feel right, report concerns, including minor ones, and have open conversations about wellbeing within their teams.
The feedback also shaped the programme in real time, with practical suggestions around session length and wider questions about how similar education might extend into men’s football, reinforcing the appetite for cultural change across the game.
“ As the women’s game continues to grow, safeguarding can’t be an afterthought. This partnership has helped ensure that players and staff are not only educated, but connected to support and empowered to act early. That’s essential for long-term, sustainable progress.”
“Players engage differently when they feel understood. Being able to speak from lived experience, of how the game has changed, and what that pressure can feel like, helps create trust and honest conversation. That’s where meaningful prevention starts.”
“It was really engaging and useful. We’ve never had this before and it feels so important.”
“I’ll be more aware of what others might be dealing with and more confident to check in.”
A Trusted Partnership
For the WSL, this work has been about more than education, it’s been about building a system of trust and support that can keep pace with the sport’s growth.
Sandy [taken from mid-season review]:
Looking Ahead
This partnership continues to evolve, with plans to expand learning opportunities, reduce delivery barriers, and deepen support pathways across the league. It stands as an example of how women’s sport can grow boldly, without compromising safety, dignity or wellbeing.
Our work with the WSL shows what’s possible when safeguarding is treated not as a risk to manage, but as a foundation for sustainable success.
If your team or organisation is interested in accessing similar support, we’d love to hear from you.