Alessia Russo celebrates England’s win over Spain in Euro 2025 final

The tournament named after Arsenal star Alessia Russo kicks off on Friday, 6th November – with the hope of promoting participation in football for girls.

The Alessia Cup is supported by Sky Sports, the Alessia Russo Foundation and UK charity Goals 4 Girls, and intends to build confidence, resilience, and leadership beyond the pitch, while highlighting the importance of keeping girls engaged in sport during adolescence.

The alliance was launched after a Public First report commissioned by Sky: Game Changing: How sport gives every girl a better chance, found that playing sport in childhood is as strong an indicator of women reaching senior career positions as a university degree.

However, girls aged 11 to 18 miss out on a collective 280 million hours of sport annually compared to their male counterparts.

Dana Strong, group CEO of Sky, said in September: “By age 11, nearly one in three girls stop believing sport is for them – proven not to be just a personal loss, but a national one. Broadcasters like Sky have a crucial role to play in driving access and visibility of women’s sport, but this alone won’t close...