On 13 October the Lionesses take on Greece at the King Power Stadium, one more step on the road to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Millions will be watching, and plenty of them will be girls who play themselves.
Come Saturday morning, thousands of those girls will pull on a shirt for their own team. A surprising number of those shirts were never made for them.
Why girls end up in the boys' kit
This autumn we asked the people who run girls' and women's teams about kit: coaches, PE teachers, volunteers and parents. These are early findings, but the picture is already clear.
39% of teams told us they use men's or boys' kit. A quarter are wearing kit that's more than three seasons old, and some are in hand-me-downs from another team at the club.
It usually comes down to money. Asked what made setting up their team hardest, 48% said the cost of kit and equipment, ahead of finding players, pitches or coaches. When budgets are tight, the girls' team often gets what's left over. As one coach put it: "We are disappointed that girls kit costs more money than boys kit."
We've written before about the hand-me-down problem. The survey suggests it's still very much with us.
Why it matters more than you'd think
It's easy to say kit is just kit. The people running these teams don't see it that way.
45% have seen players feel less part of the team without matching kit. 27% have had a player leave, or nearly leave, because of the cost. Starling's research found something similar: 23% of players had missed sessions because their team couldn't afford kit or equipment.
When we asked what keeps players coming back, nearly every team gave the same answer: friendship and team spirit. A proper kit, made for them and in the club's colours, is part of how that feels. One coach's wish for her team was simply "to have all the girls with proper match day gear and in the club colours."
That matters at an age when it's easy to drift away. Women in Sport estimate that 1.3 million girls who once loved sport drop out as teenagers. Kit won't fix that on its own, but it's one of the simpler things we can get right.
And the upside is real. 79% of teams said fully funded kit would let them grow the squad, or simply keep going.
What businesses are doing about it
The good news is that businesses are starting to notice. Starling Bank and Persimmon Homes have both backed girls' teams this year, and more local firms are asking how they can help.
There's a good reason for it. In our fan survey, 89% said they'd feel much more positive about a local business that funded a women's or girls' team near them. 84% said kit is where they notice sponsors most. Every single team leader we spoke to said they'd think more of a business that stepped in.
But finding each other is hard. More than half of the teams that looked for a sponsor got nothing back, and four in ten spent over twenty hours trying. Meanwhile, plenty of businesses would like to help but don't know where to start.
How to sponsor a girls' team near you
That's the gap Kit Funder was built to close. Teams register for free. Businesses choose their budget, their area, the sport and the age group, and we match them with local teams that fit.
My Club Group, who already supply more than 11,000 teams, design and make the kit, so there's nothing for the sponsor to organise. And 5% of every sponsorship goes to Clockwork, our mental health charity partner.
It may cost less than you think. Starling's research puts the real cost of sponsoring a girls' team at around £845. Sponsorship is also usually treated as an advertising cost, so it can normally be deducted from profits for Corporation Tax. Our guide to sponsorship and tax explains more, and how to sponsor a grassroots team walks you through the steps.
The next generation is already training
Whatever happens against Greece, the Lionesses of 2035 are out there now, training on a Tuesday night and playing on a Saturday morning. Let's make sure they look the part.
If you run a team, register for free and we'll help you find a sponsor. If you're a business, see how it works. And if you run a girls' or women's team, tell us about it in our survey.
Common questions about girls' football kit
Why do so many girls' football teams play in boys' kit?
In our early survey of girls' and women's teams, 39% said they use men's or boys' kit. Cost is the main reason: 48% named the cost of kit and equipment as the hardest part of setting up their team, so when budgets are tight the girls' team often gets what is left over.
Does kit really affect whether girls keep playing?
The people running girls' teams say it does. 45% have seen players feel less part of the team without matching kit, and 27% have had a player leave, or nearly leave, because of the cost. Women in Sport estimate that 1.3 million girls who once loved sport drop out as teenagers.
How much does it cost to sponsor a girls' football team?
Starling's research puts the real cost of sponsoring a girls' team at around £845. Sponsorship is usually treated as an advertising cost, so it can normally be deducted from profits for Corporation Tax.
What does a business get from sponsoring a girls' or women's team?
Goodwill and visibility where it counts. In our fan survey, 89% said they would feel much more positive about a local business that funded a women's or girls' team near them, and 84% said kit is where they notice sponsors most.
How can a business find a girls' team to sponsor?
Through Kit Funder, a business chooses its budget, area, sport and age group and is matched with local teams that fit. Teams register for free, My Club Group designs and makes the kit, and 5% of every sponsorship goes to Clockwork, Kit Funder's mental health charity partner.
Survey figures are early findings from 33 girls' and women's teams and 19 fans, October 2026.
