The Ball was hosted by Peckham Town FC in London on the eve of Kick-off for their pre-season friendly against Enfield Borough, which they won in sweltering conditions on a sunburned pitch, 3-2. Appropriately, on a day representative of global warming, the club made the first climate pledge of any club on Spirit of Football’s 12-month journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia in 2023. Duncan Hart, on behalf of Peckham Town FC said:
As a football club we want to encourage more and more people to cycle to games and leave their cars at home.
The Ball focuses on Gender Equality on our journey for equality. The coach of Peckham Town FC’s men’s team is former English international player Mary Phillip. She is the first black player to captain an England women’s international football team and she represented the country in two FIFA World Cups, collecting 65 international caps. In 2020 became the first female manager of a cup-winning men’s senior side. Mary had this to say:
I won the quadruple with Arsenal, it is still the only footballing team male or female to do that, and it shows that women can achieve things that men are still striving to do. The Ball is putting a statement out there. The way the Women’s Game is growing and is continuing to grow and that The Ball is going to the Women’s World Cup is also recognition of how far the women’s game is being recognised on a level playing field.
Peckham Town 3-2 Enfield Borough, pre-season friendly, Sat 9th July 2022 – in photos – Brixton Buzz
