Small-sided football – whether it's in the cages of London or the pre-booked pitches up and down the country – has been a cultural space that hasn't always had girls and women at its heart. It’s time for that to change.

Access to playing space remains one of the biggest challenges for young female ballers, with research showing that 59 per cent who played the sport as a teenager drop out of the game due to a lack of facilities and opportunities to play.

Fewer women and girls in these spaces means a lack of belief among new players that five-a-side football is something that can be ‘for them’ – but in reality, at the highest level of the pro game, a new generation of technically gifted players, who first cut their teeth finessing the small-sided game, are taking over.

As EA SPORTS FC 25 introduces its new game mode ‘Rush’ for the first time, giving Barclays Women’s Super League players more visibility in a small-sided environment than ever before, VERSUS is working with some of the biggest players from all 12 BWSL clubs to look at the way small-sided football has contributed to their development.

Small-sided football provides the ultimate Rush – everyone should experience it.

Olivia Smith, Liverpool FC:

“I think my earliest memory of five-a-side football would be around the age of 11 with one of my old clubs. We were entered into a small-sided league back home in Toronto.

I think it’s so integral to a player’s development. It gets you used to working in tight spaces and your IQ has to be quicker. It’s all about technical and creative play, which is my kind of speed!”

“I find small-sided football really thrilling because it’s all about technical skills and being creative in gameplay, both on and off the ball – which, I think, suits my playing style perfectly. Having that level of exposure at such a young age, it’s fantastic for creating a strong foundation as a player.”

Rosa Kafaji, Arsenal:

“Five-a-side football is exciting because you can score, you can lose the ball, but you’re still having fun – you’re not thinking too much, you know?

When I was younger, I played a lot in a cage, it was like futsal almost and then you can just express yourself more. It was a very good experience for me and I think it helped me a lot on the big pitch.”

“I would say that my earliest memory of five-a-side football is when I very first started playing the game – my first time even touching a ball! I was playing with my brother and his friends and that’s when I fell in love with the game. Beyond that, I played a lot of small-sided games at school from the age of eight to thirteen. During that time, my technique improved significantly and I gained a lot of confidence through trying new moves in those close-knit environments.”

Take the pitch with Barclays Women’s Super League players on ‘Rush’ in EA SPORTS FC 25 now.

Khadija Shaw, Manchester City:

“Small-sided football is important because you find yourself in more difficult situations, and if you can solve those moments I think when you get to the big pitch you have that experience and the situations become easier to handle.

One of the most important attributes for a five-a-side player is to be able to pass the ball. You can be fast or you can be physical, but if you can’t pass the ball the play is going to break down every single time.”

“My first experience playing football, on a smaller scale, would have been back home on the streets of Jamaica – particularly in front of my house. I think that’s when I realised how interesting the sport was as it brought people together in a way I didn’t really see or experience elsewhere up until then.”

Ruby Doe, West Ham United:

“Small-sided football is really exciting because you get a lot of touches on the ball, which gives you the chance to score a lot of goals.

I think the most important stat for me as a five-a-side player would be shooting, you haven’t got loads of time on the ball so you need to make your moments count. Small-sided football demands more of you as a player and I think it’s played a big part in the big technical improvements we’ve seen in women’s football.”

“There is a football cage at the top of my street and I remember going there almost every single day after school to play football with my brother and sisters. We played with anyone else who was in the cage, it didn’t matter if you didn’t know one another, we all just wanted to play football.

My earliest memory of five-a-side football outside of that football cage was entering a mini tournament in my local area. I actually ended up playing with some of the girls now in the West Ham squad funnily enough! From memory, I think we ended up doing quite well too, making it to the knockout stages.”