Meet the Ball - Maiden Castle, Durham University

 Meet the Ball is a training routine practiced at all levels of football, coaching players to control, pass and build connections with teammates. Taking inspiration from this exercise, this artwork tells the story of how women and girls first encounter football, showing how little kicks at the park or in the garden can eventually lead to the world of professional sport.

Each section shows a different stage in this journey, from intense sessions in the gym, to rainy nights under the floodlights. To create this work, artist Nocciola The Drawer spent four months with Durham University women’s football teams, observing training, supporting on matchdays and talking to players about how they have overcome challenges and built communities.

This artwork was developed alongside ongoing research by Professor Stacey Pope and the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences. The Department leads research which challenges inequalities, promotes social justice and improves health and wellbeing. By increasing understanding of women’s experiences of playing and watching football we can advance gender equality and ensure that the sport can be made safer, more welcoming and more inclusive for everyone.

This work was supported by Durham University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Fund.