York RI U12 Release “Girls Can Have Short Hair – Overcoming It”

The soccer players, parents and coaches of the York Railway Institute AFC U12 team have launched an anti-harassment campaign after multiple incidents where girls were accused of cheating on being “boys” due to short hair .

The incident that club members say has happened repeatedly since the team was formed as the U10S, bringing down target players with short hair and demand plays, with grown adults (parents and coaches).

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With her daughter Flo playing for the club and being abused on multiple occasions, Wendy Topham came up with the idea of ​​making a T-shirt after talking to fellow parents.

Adorned with the motto “Girls can have short hair – they can get through it” – the team wears shirts to warm up to convey their message without selecting individuals It was there.

Wendy said:

The girls on the team wear a T-shirt (Photo: provided) “At one point, Flo said she wanted to grow hair and knows she doesn't want to, but that's how worried she is. She doesn't want to be labeled prominently. She doesn't want to be labeled prominently. I love to have short hair and just want to play soccer.

“Even if they think “look like a boy,” it's the only team of girls and there are strict rules – all regulated by the FA – it almost questioned the reliability of the coach. It's like it's doing.

“This cannot happen in 2025, but it is, and it's ridiculous, it's happening to a lot of girls.

Flo and cami (Photo: provided by) “The team is very nice and supportive, and there are all parents, which shows that girls stand up to the right thing – this is a really good message for them in life.”

Amy Little, whose daughter Kami also plays for York RI, is excited to see the treatment her daughter and other teams have received.

She said: “The coach who stopped the game didn't just question the gender. He accused them of playing in a boyish way. The girls were good at playing football and scored goals. The fact that they have to qualify for the fact that they are girls is outrageous.”

The team is wearing a shirt while warming up (Photo: provided) Amy's husband, Betrand Porhel, also said, “It started out in the past year or so, we had a lot of accusing a team of girls of having boys.

“Sometimes it came from parents, sometimes it came from coaches, and it really made the girls unstable. In one game, the coach claimed that our daughter was a boy, so we have to stop the game. That was it.

“It really caused something, supported our girls and started with t-shirts to show that they can become girls with short hair. Not just the York team, but it happened. I realized that it was a national issue.

The team wearing their shirts (Photo: provided by) “I was surprised because I think we live in a progressive society, but these comments date back 50 years ago and this is why we're getting the problem back.”

Team coach Kelly Chesterton said: “It comes from adults. Girls can play soccer against people who are more mature than adults.

“We had enough and after we went to the club and led us, we went to the FA – North Riding – they can do so much, and other Since 1,000 children need to be treated this way, we need to scream from the rooftop.

Close-up of shirt (Photo: provided) “As parents, and as coaches with lots of girls, we need to stand together and scream from the rooftops. We want people to stop and let them play football.

“The more we can reach out, the better for us and them. These things can have a negative impact on our children. People are harming themselves and people are making this a reality. If you keep looking beyond, it must be comfortable, not the end result.

“That's the other way around. If boys want long hair, they can.”

Flo and cami (Photo: provided by) Amy added: “I wonder why kids fall out of sports when they are in puberty because they focus on how they look instead of girls' abilities.

“We know that there is evidence of how beneficial sports can be for not only physical but mental health. The problem is that girls play sports and without discriminatory behavior. It's about being self-confident.”

Kelly continued: “They do it all the time – for me, it shows great courage. When an incident occurs, I don't need us here and you need to be abused. He said there was no, they said, “We're here to play football.”

Her game's team campaign too (Photo: provided)“Just because a girl has short hair and is good at soccer doesn't mean she's a boy. We should never be restrained by anyone, and not by girls.”

The team has also been flooded with support from other local clubs, including the York RI women's team, many of which have short hair and Wiggington's team showing support.

The group is affiliated with a York-based business, and the shirts can now be purchased online for those who want to support the campaign.