A Ballon d’Or winner is coming to London
If you needed proof that women’s football in England is entering a new era, this is it. Reports suggest that Alexia Putellas — two-time Ballon d’Or winner, Barcelona and Spain great, and one of the most decorated midfielders the game has ever seen — has signed for London City Lionesses ahead of the 2026/27 Women’s Super League season. It’s the kind of transfer that, a few years ago, would have felt unthinkable for a WSL club outside the traditional “big four.”
London City Lionesses aren’t just dipping a toe in either. They’re set to open their 2026/27 WSL fixtures at home to Manchester United in mid-September, and if Putellas is involved by then, it’s about as eye-catching a season-opener as English women’s football has had. For a club that only earned WSL promotion relatively recently, a reported move for a Ballon d’Or winner is a genuine statement of intent — and a sign of where investment in the women’s game is heading.
We don’t yet know every detail of how her season will unfold — that’s the nature of fast-moving transfer news — but the headline is clear enough: one of the best players on the planet looks set to be playing WSL football, in London, this autumn.
Why this matters beyond one transfer
It’s easy to focus on the name, but the bigger story is what it represents. The prospect of Alexia Putellas at London City Lionesses is a symptom of a WSL that’s growing up fast — bigger crowds, more broadcast coverage, serious financial backing, and clubs now competing for global talent rather than just hoping to survive in the division. When a league can attract a player of that calibre, it changes how the whole sport is perceived, right down to grassroots level.
And that trickle-down effect is real. Every time a Lioness lifts a trophy, or a huge signing makes the news, sign-ups at junior girls’ football sessions tend to spike. Clubs and coaches up and down the country will tell you the same thing: visibility creates participation. A ten-year-old who watches a World Cup final or reads about her new favourite midfielder joining a WSL club is a ten-year-old who wants to go and kick a ball herself on Saturday morning.
What it means for girls watching at home
If you’re a parent or coach wondering how to get girls into football in the UK, moments like this are pure gold. You don’t need to sell the sport — the players are doing it for you. Talk about the game, watch highlights together, point out that the WSL’s 2026/27 fixtures look packed with genuinely world-class talent, set to play week in, week out on English soil, in cities and towns not far from home.
The message to any girl watching is simple: this pathway is real. It starts with five-a-side at the local leisure centre or an after-school club, and — for a vanishingly small number, sure, but for all of them a foundation of skill, confidence and fitness — it can lead somewhere extraordinary. That’s worth taking seriously, and worth acting on.
September is the perfect time to start
Which brings us to the practical bit. Every September, two things happen at once: the new school term begins, and the new grassroots football season kicks off. Clubs run trials and open sessions, school teams start training again, and Sunday leagues fill their rosters. It’s genuinely the best window all year to get a girl (or indeed any child) started in football, or to make sure returning players aren’t turning up under-kitted after the summer break.
If your daughter’s been asking to join a team after watching the WSL, or your existing junior player has grown three sizes over the summer holidays (it happens every year), now’s the time to sort the kit before training resumes. Our back-to-school football essentials collection is built exactly for this — a straightforward way to tick off everything needed for the season ahead without overthinking it.
Getting kitted out: the essentials
You don’t need anything fancy for a first season of grassroots football — just kit that fits properly and does its job on wet Tuesday-night pitches.
Boots are usually the first thing parents ask about, and it’s a fair question — there’s no such thing as a “girls’ boot” in terms of construction, just correctly sized junior football boots that suit the surface your child plays on. If you’re searching for girls football boots UK-wide, what you’re really after is junior football boots for girls (and boys) that fit well and grip properly on grass or 3G. Our junior football boots collection covers a full range of studs and sizes, and something like the Junior Razor 6 Stud Football Boots is a solid, no-nonsense option for anyone starting out on grass pitches this season.
Shin pads are non-negotiable — most clubs won’t let a child train or play without them, so they’re always top of the first-season kit list. Socks, a comfortable training top for midweek sessions, and a properly fitted pair of boots round out the basics. If you’re assembling a full grassroots football kit for a young player from scratch, that’s genuinely most of what you need — resist the urge to overspend on extras before you know how often training will happen.
Finding a club and taking the first step
The kit is the easy part. The harder (but more rewarding) step is finding the right club or school programme. Most areas now run girls-specific sessions through the FA’s “Just Play” and wildcats programmes, local grassroots clubs, or school PE departments — a quick search for your county FA website is usually the fastest way in. Many clubs run free taster sessions in September precisely because it’s when new players are most likely to come along.
A season worth being part of
Whatever happens on the pitch for Putellas and London City Lionesses this season, the ripple effect is already doing its job — getting more girls curious about football, and more parents asking how to get their daughters started. That curiosity is worth backing with action: find a session, turn up, get the kit sorted, and let the new season do the rest. Grassroots football has never had a more exciting backdrop than it does right now.