How silence on the sidelines can help girls find their voice on the pitch

On March 3rd, the GSL participated in the FA’s Silent Support Weekend initiative alongside 150 other grassroots football leagues across England. This campaign had saw a record-breaking participation of 42,383 teams and more than 600,000 players involved over the weekend!  

Across all age groups from U9 to U16 divisions in the GSL, we encouraged coaches and supporters to embrace the campaign by showing their support to players with applause only. This meant clapping to recognise good play by either side, which also allowed the players to find their own voice on the pitch and communicate amongst themselves.

Silent Support Weekend challenges the norm of what sideline support looks and sounds like but has proven to create a positive environment for players in our league and in other leagues across the country. With less noise from the sidelines, players are empowered to develop their own voice, communicate with their teammates and have the freedom to take control of their game.

Over the weekend, players had a rare opportunity to practice key skills during their competitive matches, with less outside influence giving them more independence over decision-making and allowing leadership to emerge.  

Players involved in Silent Support Weekend at GSL had important feedback to share with us:

One player explained: “It’s easier to concentrate. My head was more in the game and it encourages us to talk to our own teammates.”

Another found Silent Support to be a valuable learning opportunity: “It helped us realise that we need to communicate more, and it shows what our skills are without someone telling us what to do”.

We also heard from players that felt empowered: “It’s important because we learned to make our own decisions in the game. It felt like we were more in control and there was less pressure.”

Participating in Silent Support Weekend has not only allowed players and coaches to identify areas to improve on, but also given players the freedom to make their own decisions on the pitch.

At GSL, we love to see players developing their skills and confidence and Silent Support Weekend is a valuable opportunity to do just that!