Saints captains back project to ‘Ignite Potential’ in young people
Southampton Football Club is proud to announce that Women's First Team captain Atlanta Primus has helped unlock £25,000 in funding from Premier League and PFA Players’ Fund to launch a new project to empower young girls into leadership.
Southampton FC’s Women’s captain, Atlanta Primus has spearheaded a campaign to support young girls on their journey into the future, and become the next generation of leaders, working with Saints Foundation to create the project; Ignite Potential.
Speaking at Saints Foundation’s Charity Dinner, Atlanta said: “The work Saints Foundation do is amazing, and I am really excited about working closer with them. Empowering women and girls to be leaders is something I am really passionate about, I can’t wait to see how this project develops.”
Ignite Potential will deliver a two-day workshop programme at St Mary’s Stadium followed by a celebration day at Staplewood Training Ground , giving participants the opportunity to develop leadership skills while engaging in positive community action. The programme will feature inspirational role models, leadership workshops and the opportunity for participants to earn a qualification that can support their future pathways.
Driven by past and present players from the Saints Women’s first team, including former captains Rosie Parnell and Shannon Sievwright, the brand-new project aims to empower girls aged 11–16 who may face increased inequalities, providing a supportive environment to grow in confidence and leadership. Through a series of workshops centred on self-expression, confidence, and leadership, the programme will use physical activity as a powerful tool to unite and engage participants.
Through the support of the Premier League, PFA Players’ Fund, and Southampton FC, Ignite Potential will work to overcome some of the barriers that can prevent young women from reaching their full potential, helping them build the skills and belief needed to thrive as future leaders, by improving mental and physical wellbeing, improving confidence and self-esteem, progress within employment or education, and develop pro-social behaviours.
The project will act as a next step for existing Saints Foundation participants who have already increased their confidence and self esteem through our secondary age projects such as Community Champions, Premier League Inspires, Premier League Kicks and Saints Switching Play.
To introduce the initiative to potential participants, Primus recently visited one of our Community Champions schools, Regents Park Community College, where she spoke with students about the project and encouraged them to get involved.
The visit provided an opportunity for the girls to hear directly from a professional footballer and role model about leadership, resilience, and the importance of believing in their own potential.
Beth Osborne, Developments Projects Manager – overseeing our Reducing Inequalities area of work – said: “This is our opportunity to build on the strong foundation’s of our project teams work in increasing self esteem and confidence in young girls to give them the guidance, tools, and opportunities to look positively at their futures.”
Ignite Potential represents a powerful collaboration between players and community programmes, highlighting the commitment of the Saints Women’s team to inspire, support, and develop the female leaders of tomorrow.
