THE POWERHOUSE PROJECT: MEET THE TWINS CHANGING THE GAME FOR WOMEN IN FOOTBALL

Published: 05/03/2026 | Written by: Dylan Jones

Football has a way of giving back. Not always straight away, and not always in the way you expect, but for the people who love it enough, it finds a way. For Rosie and Mollie Kmita, it gave them everything. A career, a purpose, a community. And now, they're making sure it does the same for the next generation of women who love the game just as much as they do. This International Women's Day, we're shining a light on The Powerhouse Project, and the two women who built it from the ground up.

Their success in the game didn't come easy. The twins played through an era where women's football had no professional structure, where crowds were sparse, and where financial support was almost non-existent. They fought for every opportunity, often without the visibility, the role models, or the infrastructure that their male counterparts took for granted. And rather than leave those struggles behind when their playing days ended, they did something far more powerful with them. They turned them into a blueprint.

THE PROBLEM THEY COULDN'T IGNORE

Women's football has come a long way. Full stadiums, professional contracts, record-breaking attendances, the growth over the past decade has been nothing short of extraordinary. But behind the scenes, a quieter problem has always existed. Getting into the game. Not just as a player, but as a coach, a referee, a broadcaster, a leader, it has never been straightforward. The pathways aren't always clear. The role models aren't always visible. And that can make the whole thing feel out of reach before you've even tried.

The Kmita twins know this better than most. Growing up in Enfield, North London, they were often the only girls playing football in their area. They went on to have professional careers spanning clubs like Tottenham, West Ham, Brighton, and even a spell in the United States. But for all the doors football opened for them, they saw just as many that stayed firmly shut.

"If you don't have role models, I don't know how to get there because I can't see anyone who's done it before me," Mollie says. "That's where it gets hard sometimes, feeling like this is even possible. That's why I think, subconsciously, you make different choices, maybe safer ones, like going to uni or sticking to the traditional routes, because it feels too risky to try something else."

Even their own childhood heroes were men. Mollie's was David Beckham. Rosie's was Ashley Cole. Not because they didn't want female role models, but simply because there weren't any to look up to. That absence shaped their entire outlook on what was possible. And it planted a seed.

FROM THE PITCH TO THE PROJECT

When both sisters reached the end of their playing careers, leaving the game entirely was never on the cards. What they wanted was to be part of it differently. They wanted to use everything they'd learned and channel it into something that mattered.

"We made that conscious decision to say, actually, I think we've done what we can playing-wise, but actually, I want to be part of the game in a different way now," Rosie explains.

That new direction became The Powerhouse Project: a coaching and career development programme designed to empower women to find their place in football, whatever that looks like for them. Whether that's on the touchline, behind a microphone, or managing an academy.

The aim is simple: Build pathways. Remove the barriers. Show women that there is a route in and help them walk it.

"The biggest motivation for us when we created the Powerhouse Project was to build pathways that help women reach their full potential, whether that's coaching, a media career, or whatever it may be," says Mollie. "If you want to be part of this game, there have to be clear routes to get there."

"The Powerhouse Project is honestly probably the proudest thing we've created so far," Rosie adds. "We're just two girls from Enfield, didn't have much direction, didn't really know what we were doing, and then football came into our lives."

The scope of what they offer is broad by design, because the barriers women face aren't one-size-fits-all, and neither are the solutions. Players looking to sharpen their game can access personalised one-to-one sessions with UEFA-qualified female coaches, getting the kind of elite, tailored guidance that has historically been far harder for women to access than it should be.

Students aged 16 to 18 can join football education college programmes that use the sport as a springboard for career development and genuine wellbeing, giving young women a reason to stay in the game at exactly the age many walk away from it.

For those with an eye on the media industry, partnerships with the Women's Professional Leagues Limited and Google Pixel have created dedicated pathways into football broadcasting and content creation. These are two areas where female voices have long been underrepresented, and where the next generation of storytellers deserves a proper foot in the door.

There's also the PHP Sport Summit, which brings together young women from across the country to ignite ambition and show them in person, in a room full of people who look like them, that a future in sport is not just possible, it's within reach. And for schools, year-long academic programmes give both students and staff the tools, education, and inspiration to make sport a meaningful part of young people's lives. Whatever the route into the game, The Powerhouse Project is working to make sure that route actually exists.

And then there's perhaps their most ambitious programme yet. In partnership with Nike and the Football Association, The Powerhouse Project runs the UEFA B Prep Programme, a four-month journey designed to give female coaches a genuine foothold in the professional game. Coaches get hands-on pitch time, tactical theory sessions, access to WSL and Premier League matchday experiences, and mentorship from professionals with real pedigree in the elite game. The ultimate goal is a fully funded UEFA B Licence for those who go on to achieve it. Now in its fifth cohort, the programme has grown into a nationwide operation, and this year 45 coaches are set to begin their journey in the coming weeks. It's a pipeline being built in real time, and the women entering it this year are proof that the momentum is only growing.

CHANGING THE GAME GLOBALLY

The impact of The Powerhouse Project is being felt far beyond North London. In partnership with Right to Dream and Nike, the project recently launched a pioneering women's coach education programme in Ghana called ‘Coaching Queens: CAF D Licence.’ It's a six-month provision that combines practical on-pitch coaching clinics, technical and tactical theory classes, and online Q&A sessions with leading figures across the industry. Selected coaches are mentored by elite coaches throughout, and participants who are successful in their CAF D Licence application receive full funding to complete it.

It's the kind of programme that changes the trajectory of women's football in entire communities. And two stories from within that community show exactly what's possible…

In Ghana for example, Afua, a gym instructor from Ghana, coaches under-17s in her spare time. Since joining the Powerhouse community, her progression has been a source of enormous pride for the project. Her passion and dedication fuel her to inspire others to fall in love with the game. Her coaching journey embodies everything The Powerhouse Project was built to nurture.

Closer to home, the results are just as meaningful. Briony Smith is one of the standout stories from the Powerhouse community. Having attended coaching retreats and community events run by the project, and supported through the Powerhouse x Nike internship, she recently stepped into a new role as Women's & Girls Academy Coach at Brighton & Hove Albion Women.

Stories like Afua's and Briony's are exactly what the Kmita twins set out to create. Offering new opportunities to women in football from all over the globe. Promoting inclusivity, community, and a joint passion for the game we all know and love.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

For Rosie and Mollie, The Powerhouse Project has never just been about getting women into football. It's about changing the way people think about women in football at every level, from grassroots to the elite game.

"Growing up, I felt as if you didn't make it as a pro footballer, you were made to feel like a failure," Rosie says. "For me, that's not the right narrative for young women, young girls, and young boys. It's like, okay, you might not go and make it as a pro, but look how much you can do in this space."

"We need to get better at educating young people sooner so they grow up in a world where women playing football is completely normal," Mollie continues, "and they should never see it any differently."

The goal, ultimately, is legacy. The legacy of every woman who comes through the project and goes on to leave her own mark on the game.

"The first word that comes to mind is impact," says Rosie. "I just want people to look at us and think, wow, they impacted so many other women's lives for the better."

Mollie's vision is equally clear. "I want to be remembered for genuinely creating something that gave back and helping lots of women start their careers. It gives me goosebumps, thinking about in five, ten years, how many female coaches might have come through the Powerhouse Project. How many journalists, broadcasters, content creators. All women who just had such a passion for football but couldn't really find a way in."

Two twins. One shared love of the game. And a project that's steadily making women's football a more welcoming place for everyone. If that's not something worth celebrating this International Women's Day, we're not sure what is.