Hackney’s only girls’ football team has told 20 children they can’t play after the council refused funding.
The council would not give Rainbow FC the £500 they needed to pay for transport, forcing them to reduce their Under 13 squad.
Andrew Wilkes, who manages Rainbow FC, said: “Hackney girls are interested in football but it’s increasingly difficult to get them playing because society favours male football teams and the council ignore us.
“They go on about the Olympics but are not supporting local sport.”
Rainbow FC, which is run by volunteers, work to keep subscription fees as low as possible, but many families struggle to pay for sessions.
Mr. Wilkes says he knows families who will only pay for their sons and not their daughters to play football.
He added: “We used to allow girls who can’t afford the £1 fee to play anyway, but we can’t continue like this.”
Some of Rainbow FC’s most talented players leave for Islington because they provide better facilities for their female footballers.
Mr. Wilkes added: “I’ve given up on the council. They don’t do anything for the youth and then complain that crime is up. I would like the council to listen to normal people and consider our needs.”
Brian Woodcock, a spokesperson for Hackney council, said: “I am keen to support clubs in the community, but Rainbow FC did not provide enough detail about their targets and plans for the future”.
Fewer than one in eight women regularly plays sport, compared with one in five men, a Sport England Survey found.
In disadvantaged communities, the survey found the figure fell to one in 10.
More than £3m has been set aside to improve facilities at Hackney Marshes, where the boys’ football teams play.
Rainbow FC are currently looking for sponsors.
