A youngster from the Leeds United Foundation was one of the special guests at a recent Premier League (PL) Changemakers event hosted at the iconic National Football Museum in Manchester.

Suria, along with a number of other young females from across the country came together to make connections, friendships and learn more about possible careers in football through the Premier League funded programme.

With representation from 27 professional football club charities, including the Leeds United Foundation, the girls in attendance were all aged 12-15 and each part of the PL Changemakers programme, which is delivered through Premier League Inspires and Premier League Kicks. During the event they each attended workshops and heard from inspirational female leaders in the game as they discussed equity, equality and allyship in football.

Suria is part of the club’s official charity’s Go-Ahead programme, and she was previously named as One of Our Own as part of a Premier League Supports campaign, celebrating her participation and progress across a number of our Women and Girls development initiatives.

Suria spoke during the event, and she said: “Premier League Changemakers has a big impact and helps people overcome barriers they may have in their lives. 

“I have been part of the programme for about a year, and it's helped me a lot. It's helped me inspire other people, the girls that want to play football, to let them know that they can.

“I'm very grateful because not a lot of people get the chance to be part of an event like this. It's good to see all of the female role models, it inspires you more to be one of them one day.

“I'm going to take away from this celebration that women can inspire in a lot of things that they do in football. They should never let themselves get down because of other people or boys that try to stop them or trying to judge them through football.

“As soon as people see me in school, they are going to ask me about it, so I am going to say to them that women are making a change in football.”

To learn more about the Go-Ahead programme or any of our other Women and Girls initiatives, being delivered by the Leeds United Foundation, please contact Abigail.Lee@leedsunited.com.

Or for further information about PL Changemakers, please click here.