Mia’s journey in sport from shy teenager to inspiring coach has not only transformed her own life chances, but also those of other girls and young women in her community.
Mia Griffin, 17, has always been sporty, with clubs and after-school activities providing an outlet for the usually shy youngster to come out of her shell and express herself. As a teenager, however, her relationship with sport became complicated by personal struggles with an eating disorder and anxiety, as well as restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during this time that a teacher at her school signposted her to Any Girl Netball, a new local initiative being set up in West Brom with the aim of providing girls with a safe, fun, and free environment to explore netball and physical activity.
In an area with high levels of crime and youth violence and where girls and young women often feel unsafe and unwelcome in public spaces, Any Girl Netball offers a vital lifeline. As well as providing girls with opportunities to engage with netball – a sport traditionally associated with high costs and exclusivity – and other physical activity for free, the sessions also offer a safe space with trusted role models, and opportunities for personal growth. The initiative has also built a positive relationship with West Midlands Police, with a local officer attending weekly sessions to help to build trust between participants and the police, counteracting the negative perceptions often associated with law enforcement in underserved areas.
Mia attended the very first Any Girl Netball session, at the age of 14, with only seven other participants. She quickly found that the sessions provided her with a much-needed outlet, allowing her to heal her relationship with physical activity in a supportive and positive environment. Since then, both she and Any Girl Netball have gone from strength to strength. Their evening sessions now regularly attract upwards of 20 participants, alongside a thriving holiday offer, while Mia’s passion and dedication have seen her transitioning from participant to coach, taking on the responsibility of running weekly sessions for under-8s.
Coaching at Any Girl Netball has been a transformative experience for Mia. Once quiet and reserved, she has blossomed into a confident leader who is happy to lead activities with a sports hall full of people, and is seen as a role model and mentor by the young participants. Her involvement with Any Girl Netball has opened the door to a number of other opportunities; she now also coaches at Sport4 Life and The Albion Foundation, is a Team Leader with NCS, and sits on StreetGames’ Doorstep Sport Advisory Group to represent the voices of young people and organisations across our network. She is also a member of the StreetGames Young Advisor team behind the Young Person’s Manifesto, which was created to enable young people’s voices from underserved communities across the UK to be heard in the lead up to the UK general election 2024.
Mia is a champion for the positive power of sport, stating that “you can literally give a kid a ball and it is so powerful. It’s amazing what sport can do.” She is acutely aware, however, of the challenges that girls and young women face in the world of sport, having been told from a young age that she was “rubbish at sport” or was only taking part “for the boys”. These experiences have only made her more passionate and determined to break down barriers and open up opportunities by dedicating herself to her coaching and supporting Doorstep Sport initiatives, which not only provide girls with the opportunity to participate in sport but also challenge societal attitudes that discourage female involvement in physical activities.
Mia’s hard work and commitment have not gone unnoticed. This year alone, she was nominated for the Young Volunteer of the Year Award at the England Netball One Awards, while the work of the Any Girl Netball team as a whole was recognised when the project was shortlisted as a finalist for Youth Project of the Year at the Inspirational Youth Awards 2024.
Inspired by her own experiences – both positive and negative – as a female in sport, along with those of the young people that she coaches, Mia is now looking ahead to a career in sports development. With the encouragement of teachers and trusted role models that have supported her, she is planning to study for a degree in the subject – achieving a significant milestone as the first person in her family to attend university. She is keen to focus particularly on female participation in sport and initiatives specifically for girls – with her dream being to be known for her work in empowering girls and showing them that they do belong in sports.
