The Girls Network

• Ladies European Tour (LET) pros to host inspirational workshops with The Girls’ Network mentoring charity in London as part of Golf Saudi’s Ladies First Club
• Launched at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, presented by PIF, the Ladies First Club saw 1,000 Saudi women and girls become golf club members for the first time
• The Ladies First Club will now induct The Girls’ Network mentees to support their first golfing experience
• The charity aims to instill self-confidence in girls from least advantaged backgrounds
• The Girls’ Network was also named the official charity of LET’s debut Aramco Team Series – London event

Three Ladies European Tour professionals set to compete in the Aramco Team Series - London have volunteered to act as role models and share their stories with young women from The Girls’ Network, a national mentoring charity aimed at inspiring and empowering girls from the UK’s least advantaged communities to be ambitious about their futures.

The activity is an extension of Golf Saudi’s Ladies First Club, which was launched at the 2020 Aramco Saudi Ladies International, presented by PIF, and saw 1,000 women and girls in Saudi Arabia receive their first golf club memberships, as well as online resources designed to help them participate in the sport.

Rachel Drummond, Hannah Burke and Leonie Harm have each committed time to share their own stories, experiences, lessons and successes as a means of instilling self-confidence and the ability to overcome challenging surroundings.

The Girls’ Network established a one-to-one mentoring programme for 30 young women in 2013. It has since grown to be a vital resource for more than 1,000 girls between the ages of 14-19 each year, operating across England, and now as the Official Charity of the London event.

In the mentoring workshops, which will be staged virtually due to Covid-19 considerations, the golfers will share insights and personal experiences with girls who may face barriers due to gender, ethnicity or low-income households.  The events will take place with a live group of The Girls’ Network members, before being shared with more than 3,000 The Girls’ Network mentees and ambassadors nationally, as well as with over 1,200 mentors.  

Some of the girls will join the volunteer team at the $1 million Aramco Team Series – London event to gain valuable work experience and see the players in action. They will also receive group coaching, an ‘Introduction to Golf’ education pack and access to equipment, followed by the chance to take to the golf course.

The Aramco Team Series – London will further support the charity in its mission to empower young women by delivering content during its ‘Bring the Energy’ campaign, highlighting the important role The Girls’ Network plays in the lives of those it touches.

At each of the four annual team events sponsored by Aramco – to be held in London, Sotogrande (Spain), New York and Jeddah – tournament organisers will partner with local organisations to support the work they do in improving the lives of girls and young women, while introducing new international members to the Ladies First Club along the way.

The Girls’ Network virtual workshops have been scheduled in the weeks leading up to the tournament, which takes place July 8-10, at the Centurion Club, near London.

Michael Wood, Tournament Director for the LET, said, “At the heart of what we’re doing with the Aramco Team Series - London is this mission to elevate the lives of women: to inspire, to drive, and to bring to the table genuine opportunities that could make a genuine impact. Our tournaments take care of that side for our golfers on the course, but it’s off the course that matters just as much to us.

“There is a unanimous, shared sense of duty and optimism among the players of the Ladies European Tour – a desire to make a difference, and a belief they can do so. We know how inspiring these women are, so it really is fantastic to see them so committed to using their own experiences to help those young girls in need of guidance and mentorship.

“Of course, we also often talk of growing the game, and what better way to do so, than by introducing the sport to a group of young people who otherwise might never have had the chance to experience golf or golf events.”

Rachel Drummond, who recently founded her own charity, Hole In Wand, to bring more people into the game, said: “It will be a wonderful experience, meeting these girls and hopefully being able to share with them the ups-and-downs of my life and my career in a way that resonates and allows them to see their lives in the context of the much bigger picture.

“I first heard about the Ladies First Club while competing in the 2020 Saudi Ladies International and it seems to be an amazing programme, allowing women and girls who might never normally play golf to get into the game. It’s great to hear that the girls of The Girls’ Network are going to get some of the same opportunities and learn what makes golf such a rewarding sport.”

Charly Young, CEO of The Girls’ Network, said, “We believe that girls coming from disadvantaged backgrounds need greater access to opportunities, but also the confidence to seize those opportunities and the skills to thrive in them. By partnering with the Aramco Team Series – London we’ll be able to bring some truly amazing stories to our girls from successful women who know what it means to look personal difficulty in the face and overcome it. They will be fantastic mentors for our girls, and we look forward to hosting these workshops and providing access to other Ladies First Club-related activities in the near future.”

Ahmed Al-Subaey, Vice-President of Marketing, Sales and Supply Planning at Aramco, added, “Having great athletes from the Aramco Team Series mentoring young girls in the London area is totally in line with our aim of providing opportunities to empower women.  I look forward to seeing the young women visit the tournament at Centurion - I can’t thank the mentors enough.”

The Aramco Team Series - London will adhere to Covid-19 protocols, as well as local and government guidelines.

For more information, visit aramcoteamseries.com