Welcome to the very first blog in The Grassroots Mum Podcast series – a space where we celebrate the mums who are the backbone of grassroots sport. The car-pool organisers, the kit washers, the cheerleaders, the fundraisers, the coaches… and often, the quiet heroes holding it all together behind the scenes. This is not to say we don’t appreciate all the amazing Dads out there too but we felt it was time to shine a spotlight on mums too.
For our first episode, we spoke to Leanne, a mum of two whose journey into grassroots football started not with trophies or academies, but with a group of children being told they weren’t good enough.
What followed was something truly remarkable.
“They were told they weren’t good enough - so we started our own team”.
Leanne’s son first kicked a ball properly at five years old. Like many children, his early football experience was short-lived and more about having fun than taking the game seriously. It wasn’t until he was 13 that football became a real passion.
He trained with established teams, experienced elite pathways including MJPL football, training with Tottenham, and time in the MK Dons football pathway. But as his love for the game deepened, something started to feel like it was missing.
“He wanted a career in football, but he also wanted to have fun – and that part was disappearing.”
Around the same time, many of his friends were struggling to find teams. Some were told they weren’t good enough. Others faced barriers due to neurodiversity or disability. One evening, Leanne’s son came home upset after another friend had been released from a team.
That was the moment everything changed.
“Me and my husband just looked at each other and thought… right. This is happening.”
Starting an under-15s team from scratch (and being called crazy!)
Starting a brand-new under-15s team is almost unheard of in grassroots football. By that age, teams are usually well-established, and players are either fully committed or drifting away from the sport.
Leanne and her husband did it anyway.
The reaction?
“Everyone thought we were mad.”
At the beginning, her son was the only experienced player. The rest had only ever played football casually with friends in the park. Some didn’t even know the offside rule – including Leanne herself.
“I didn’t know the offside rule either. And somehow, I became a coach.”
But there was something different about this team.
A team built on understanding, not pressure
From the start, Leanne was open about the team’s ethos. Many of the players - and both coaches – were neurodiverse. The focus wasn’t on results. It was on fun, inclusion and listening to the children themselves.
“We wanted the players to guide their own game. Their voices mattered.”
In that first season, results were tough. Really tough.
The team finished bottom of the league. Some scorelines were brutal – including a 26–0 loss. But one moment stood out above all others.
During one heavy defeat, the team scored a single penalty. Instead of ridicule, the opposition parents and players cheered. They ran over and celebrated with Leanne’s team.
“That one goal… it was magical.”
A year later, the team won their first match.
Measuring success differently
Keeping morale high during a season without wins isn’t easy – especially for teenagers. Leanne and her husband found creative ways to keep spirits up:
- Individual goals instead of focusing on scorelines
- Treating each half as a “new game”
- Listening, checking in and supporting emotional needs
- And yes… a McDonald’s celebration after that first win!
“Once they got a taste for winning, it actually became harder. But we always came back to why we started – for them.”
When volunteering turns into a nightmare
Grassroots football is powered by volunteers. And yet, as Leanne shared, volunteering can sometimes come at a devastating cost.
A parent made false allegations against her husband – accusations no coach should ever face. Despite no evidence, investigations involving the FA, police, social services and the NSPCC followed.
The impact was life-changing.
“It tore our family apart.”
The stress and harassment led to Leanne’s husband attempting to take his own life. Their children were forced into homeschooling. Football – the thing they loved – became a source of trauma.
“He went months without leaving the house.”
Eventually, every investigation was dropped. But the damage was already done.
Turning pain into purpose
Out of one of the darkest periods of her life, Leanne found a new direction.
She changed careers, began working for Citizens Advice and is now studying law with the aim of becoming a barrister.
“I never want anyone to hurt my family the way that person did ever again.”
Despite everything, she didn’t walk away from grassroots football.
She stayed.
Community Kicks: football for everyone
When some children couldn’t afford to join a team, Leanne and her husband paid for an indoor pitch themselves. What started as a safe space for kids to kick a ball with friends quickly grew into Community Kicks.
Now:
- 71 teenagers are enrolled
- Up to 45 attend every Friday evening
- Sessions are fully funded
- No pressure. No trials. Just football.
“If you can get 45 teenagers out of their bedrooms on a Friday night, that’s incredible.”
Community Kicks went on to win Volunteer of the Year at the Spirit of Tamworth Awards.
Disability football and true inclusion
Leanne also helped co-found All Play, a disability football club created alongside her friend Michelle. The sessions include players with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and a wide range of additional needs.
“They completely ground you in what grassroots football is actually about.”
For Leanne, grassroots isn’t about arguments on the touchline. It’s about smiles, belonging, and giving every child a place to feel included.
Innovating for neurodiverse players
Leanne is now developing a subtle on-pitch identifier that allows referees and officials to understand when a player has additional needs – without singling them out or labelling them publicly.
“We make adjustments in workplaces and classrooms. Why not on a football pitch?”
She’s already in discussion with the FA and working on prototypes that could change how neurodiverse children experience match days. Watch this space for more updates as we think this is a great idea!
A message to other mums sitting on the fence
So what would Leanne say to a parent thinking about starting something similar?
“Just go for it. But plan for what it could become – not just what it is today.”
She believes initiatives like Community Kicks could exist in every town in the UK – offering teenagers connection, confidence and community.
This is what grassroots mums do
Leanne’s story is raw, inspiring, heartbreaking and hopeful – all at once. And it perfectly captures why our new The Grassroots Mum Podcast was created.
Because behind every child on a pitch, there’s often a mum doing the unseen work. Driving. Funding. Supporting. Fighting. Believing.
And those stories deserve to be told.
We want to hear your story
This is just the beginning.
If you’re a mum involved in grassroots sport - whether as a coach, volunteer, organiser, supporter, or simply the parent on the touchline every weekend - we want to hear from you.
Get in touch: emma@laceeze.co.uk
Let’s celebrate grassroots mums.
Let’s share the real stories.
And let’s keep making sport accessible, inclusive and a happy place for our children.
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