A Futsal Festival will bring together up to 140 largely Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women and girls, from across the UK, to promote inclusion and female empowerment, on 1 and 2 March.

The Festival seeks to celebrate diversity and understanding by bringing together women of different ages, abilities, faiths and cultural backgrounds; encourage and provide a pathway for BAME women to participate in sport at a competitive and structured level; discuss opportunities in football and sport for BAME women; and build a network to support and advise BAME community groups and teams.

The event, organised by the English independent charity Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation (MWSF), will also celebrate the organisation’s partnership with the English Football Association (FA) and their involvement in increasing cultural diversity in the game.

“This event aims high and shows what can be achieved when governing bodies support our organisation.” said Rimla Akhtar, Chair of the MWSF.

Over the past 13 years, the MWSF has been working with several national, regional and international organisations to increase the involvement of women and girls in sport.

“We expect the legacy of this event to continue to reach women from diverse communities, thereby contributing significantly to our attempts to make sport truly inclusive.” she added.

The sixth edition of the event will take place at England's new home of football development, St. George’s Park, and will also feature three seminars on education, mentoring and leadership, to encourage more inclusion across all areas of sport.

“We are delighted to again support the MWSF at their 2014 Futsal Festival. We really hope that the participants are inspired to continue being a part of our game for years to come.” said the FA’s National Women's Football Development Manager, Rachel Pavlou.