The low participation of girls in football in selected primary and secondary schools of Kaunda square zone in Lusaka district, Zambia.

This research aimed to assess girls' involvement in football within selected primary and secondary schools situated in the Kaunda Square zone of Lusaka District, Zambia. Employing a qualitative approach with a descriptive research design, fifty participants were engaged, including school administrators, guidance counselors, heads of Physical Education and Sports departments, sports teachers, and pupils. Focus group discussions and interview schedules were utilized as primary research instruments. The findings revealed remarkably low participation levels of girls in football within primary and secondary schools in the Kaunda Square zone, attributed to factors such as inadequate funding, limited infrastructure, restricted access to sports facilities, negative attitudes towards girls' football, biological challenges, and entrenched gender roles. Based on these findings, the study recommended enhancements in sports infrastructure, fostering greater female participation in football, ensuring improved
access to sports facilities, and launching community-wide campaigns on gender and leadership to challenge prevailing cultural norms and stereotypes related to sports and gender. It also suggested exploring successful international models for promoting girls' football participation and adapting them to the Zambian context. Aligned with Liberal Feminism theory, the study underscores the structural and ingrained iscriminatory practices perpetuating gender disparities in sports participation. It emphasized the need for targeted interventions that challenge and reshape cultural attitudes, addressing both practical constraints and ingrained perceptions. The study highlighted the critical role of parental influence, absence of female role models, and limited facility access in shaping girls' football participation, advocating for a holistic approach involving schools, parents, communities, and sports organizations. The study contributed to a comprehensive understanding of barriers faced by girls in football, offering actionable steps for improvement and implications for policy changes and educational practices to promote gender equality in sports and narrow the gap in understanding the challenges faced by girls in football.
Keywords: Girl’s football, Girls participation, Challenges, Girls players