Chelsea FC launched a celebration for March 8th's International Women's Day under the slogan "Every woman. Every girl. Every season." this week, announcing multiple initiatives focused on gender equity and women's empowerment.
The Chelsea Foundation kicked off the festivities with the #GiveToGain campaign at Cobham Training Centre. The event brought together 25 women and girls from the Foundation's Inspire Her program and Adapted Sports walking football team, alongside students from St Mary's University Twickenham.
Participants engaged in an intergenerational mentorship workshop, writing two pledges — one offering advice and another reflecting on how someone helped them succeed. Surprise guests Sam Kerr and Kadeisha Buchanan then joined to offer their own insights.
The day concluded on the pitch, where walking footballers taught younger players the game before everyone, including Kerr and Buchanan, competed together.
The Foundation plans to expand #GiveToGain across its additional programming, aiming to reach more participants while celebrating women's football.
Chelsea also marked the first anniversary of its Women's Empowerment Network this week. The club launched the event for International Women's Day 2025 as a space for women to connect and discuss workplace issues.
Later this week, Chelsea will host a panel exploring other football issues, hoping to create a more inclusive working environment through increased discussions surrounding women's health.
"The path of womanhood holds different cycles, phases, seasons. Empowering women through the different stages of womanhood and enabling them to shape this game is what we are about," Chelsea wrote in this week's statement.
"March is a time to celebrate the women who shape our game, our communities and our future — and to recognise that progress towards gender equality requires action from us all."
