Recently, the Bloomsbury Football Foundation published a special interview – U12s Academy player Alex was joined by presenter Gabby Logan in a podcast-like conversation. Logan has joined the Foundation as an ambassador to support the goals set in their 2023–2028 Strategy, aiming to engage 20,000 young people by 2028.
In the 15-minute video, viewers witness a role swap as Alex takes on Logan’s usual presenting role, placing her in the position of interviewee while they discuss where her love for football stems from and why charity programmes like Bloomsbury Football are crucial in driving change in women’s football. Founded in 2018, Bloomsbury Football aims to increase engagement from its current 6,500 young footballers each week to 10,000 young girls by 2028. The charity aspires to transform young people’s lives by improving access to high-quality football sessions, regardless of ability, gender, or ethnicity.
As part of the partnership, Logan will attend fundraising events, where she will share her thoughts on the Foundation’s impact on young, aspiring footballers, both mentally and physically, helping to create a sense of belonging that supports them in tackling life’s challenges. She will also visit the charity’s programmes to see the girls in action, motivate them from the sidelines, and act as a role model.
Gabby Logan said, on her involvement:
“Witnessing first-hand the rapid growth of women’s football and the Lionesses’ historic success over the years has further strengthened my commitment to championing equal opportunities in sport. I’m delighted to be supporting Bloomsbury Football Foundation’s mission in helping more young girls across London access the transformative power of football, while inspiring the next generation to follow their dreams both on and off the pitch.”
Logan highlights the importance of representation in sport, explaining that she rarely saw women playing sport on television when she was younger, whereas today her village’s Saturday morning football is filled with the sound of girls playing – something that makes her emotional to hear. She also shares her definition of the “magic of football” with Alex, describing it as a universal language that connects people across the world, both on and beyond the pitch.
Logan said:
“I think it’s easy to assume that everybody has access to football and actually that’s not the case and I think if a charity like Bloomsbury can help to bring more children together through football and give them opportunities and also take them on a journey and also you know, not just the sport itself but the community coming together in ways that it hasn’t before, than that’s an incredibly powerful thing to be able to do.”
