Cambridge United to extend its work to help change attitudes towards young girls and women as Government praises its leadership on the issue in football.
Cambridge United has committed to deepen its work to help tackle violence against women and girls as the Government publishes its new strategy.
Over the last three years Cambridge United through its charitable Foundation has been running programmes in schools across the city to help change attitudes amongst boys and young men towards women and girls.
The programme called Pledge United was originally pioneered by Inspire, a charity based in Indonesia, and has since been adapted through partnership with Cambridge United Foundation for implementation in UK schools. It aims to challenge stereotypes and prejudice and to change attitudes amongst boys at a formative age. It has run in 5 Cambridge schools with over 170 boys taking part to date and initial research conducted post programme has shown a significant impact in helping change attitudes and giving participants more confidence to speak up. Members of the Cambridge United first team have been actively involved in the sessions with young people.
We are pleased that through new funding from the English Football League in The Community (EFLiTC) we will now be able to expand the programme from 5 schools to over 15 from the start of the 2025-26 academic year. We will also be working with Watford and Northampton Town to help them deliver the programme in their areas alongside commissioning a formal piece of research from Anglia Ruskin University to evaluate this work over the coming year.
Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls at the Home Office said:
“I applaud Cambridge United for its leadership within football on tackling violence against women and girls.
We know that football and other sports can provide a unique pathway to reach young men in new spaces, for them to have different and more sensitive conversations.
The Government’s new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, published today, will use every lever available to us to make a difference in this area and across wider society. We all have a part to play in tackling this issue and keeping women and girls safe.”
Vicky Neal, Head of the Cambridge United Foundation said:
“We are proud of the leadership role Cambridge United Foundation has been playing in this vitally important area within football and are very grateful for the new funding from EFLiTC to help us expand Pledge United further.
This is an issue for all society to help address and we know we can play our own unique part in reaching boys and young men through the ‘power of the badge’ and what we represent. We remain very grateful to Jon Hamilton and Inspire Indonesia who developed this programme and have done so much to lead this work globally.”
Dr. Harley-Jean Simpson, Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and Head of Research at Cambridge United said:
“We are very pleased to be supporting Cambridge United in this important work. We know it is already making a difference in changing minds and attitudes, and we look forward to conducting a more formal piece of research through Anglia Ruskin University to see what more we can learn.”
Recently, Cambridge United player Liam Bennett visited our Pledge United sessions as part of EFL's Week of Action.
