Meet the women creating a safe place to play soccer
A group of women soccer players has put a new spin on the beautiful game by forming a club where goals don’t count.
Gals FC is a recreational UK soccer club founded in London by Lorne Magill and Nora Beqaj. The club began as a kickabout in a local park between the women and some friends. It’s since expanded to include around 270 members with teams across several UK cities.
Gals FC holds noncompetitive soccer sessions where women and nonbinary players can have fun and make friends in a safe environment. The games are open to beginners as well as players with some experience. There are no referees, and though both teams celebrate goals, nobody keeps score.
Players swap positions every 5 minutes during the games so nobody gets bored. To ensure everybody enjoys themselves and gets a fair chance to play, each session is overseen by a pair of ‘vibe protectors’ who make things run smoothly and keep the mood light.
“A lot of people ask us: ‘What’s the point in playing football [soccer] if you don’t keep score?’,” said Magill. “But to those people I would just say, ‘Gals FC isn’t for you.’ It’s not for everyone, but it is for us!”
Watch the video above to see Gals FC, where the girls just wanna have fun!
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