Csillag joins Liverpool scheme to widen access for black players

Aurélie Csillag has put her name behind a new Liverpool initiative designed to open pathways in football for black and marginalised girls and women, saying the sport lacked visible role models when she was growing up.

The Swiss international forward is one of the faces of Beyond the Goalposts, a scheme run by Liverpool's foundation that launches in October and is aimed at building routes into the game both on and off the pitch.

Csillag, speaking to Guardian Sport, explained that her own football education came almost entirely from watching men play, and that even as the women's game expanded she struggled to find black players to look up to.

"When I was young I never had a role model. I only watched men's football, but when women's football got bigger there were no really good black players. I also want to be a role model for the next generation," she said, as reported by Guardian Sport.

The programme is described by the club as an effort to "create a safe, inclusive and empowering environment", with sessions in Liverpool's community including educational support and mentoring alongside football coaching.

According to Guardian Sport, sessions are due to begin on 1 October, though people can register their interest in taking part at any point before then.

The initiative sits alongside Csillag's own role as a Liverpool forward, and reflects a wider push from the club's foundation to widen participation in the women's game beyond the traditional routes into elite football.

For Csillag, the motivation is partly personal and partly forward-looking, with her comments framing the project as much about representation at the top of the sport as access at grassroots level.