This Girl’s Ability

This Girl’s Ability, a family-run non-profit supporting girls and young women with disabilities, is profiled for its weekly football sessions across Havering, Dagenham and Chelmsford, engaging around 40 members aged 10 to 25. Founded in September 2022 by Nikki Fairbairn and her daughter Zoe, with photography from daughter Danni capturing members’ memories, the programme combines fun football with joint outings to Championship and WSL matches. Members have taken on mascot duties for West Ham United Women and Charlton Athletic Women, while three young adult participants completed FA coaching qualifications, going on to run a training session for Charlton’s women’s team. The feature captures a small but determined organisation built around the belief, in founder Nikki Fairbairn’s words, that ‘it’s not what we can’t do – it’s what we can do.’