230 girls descended on One Leisure St Ives Outdoor in Cambridgeshire to take part in the final FA Girls’ Football Festival in 2017, aimed at increasing and retaining girls’ participation in the game.
With the support of Huntingdonshire FA and Cambridgeshire FA, girls aged between five and 16 years, from various schools across the county were invited to test their skills in a range of activities combining football, fun and music. The festivals are a joint initiative by The FA and Continental Tyres, providing an exciting, interactive football experience for both those new to the game and regular players.
Rachel Pavlou, FA National Women's Football Participation Manager said “I am delighted to have attended this fantastic last festival of 2017, especially as it was during FA Girls' Football Week. Everyone has done a terrific job over the year with an amazing 7,830 girls attending over 17 national festivals. Just another great example of collaborative work to support our aim to double participation by 2020”.
Today’s festival included skills and drills sessions, interactive games, mini matches and a refereeing workshop. Also on offer was a range of innovative equipment, including an inflatable pitch, speed cage, target shoot, quick feet and batak boards, plus Charlotte Lade, one of the world’s leading professional football freestylers, who throughout the day, demonstrated her amazing tricks and skills.
Festival sponsors Continental Tyres believe in the importance of grass root football - UK Marketing Director Tracey Mortimer said: “The FA Girls’ Football Festivals with Continental Tyres grows year on year, giving tens of thousands of young girls the chance to get involved with the sport. At Continental Tyres we are extremely proud that 2017 is our seventh year partnering with The FA and undoubtedly is set to be the biggest and best so far”.
For more information on women’s football and where to play visit www.TheFA.com/ForGirls
Andy Coles, Huntingdonshire FA, Football Development Officer said ‘’I would like to take this opportunity to thank Arsenal WFC, Peterborough United FC, Cambridge United FC, Norwich City FC and One Leisure for providing their Mascots and staff on the day. Also all of the young leaders from St Ivo School and volunteers who put so much effort into making the festival a huge success by ensuring it ran smoothly. The objective of these events is to create lively football opportunities that are informative and engaging for girls, to drive participation, and increase awareness of the female game.’’
For more information on Girls’ and Women’s football in Huntingdonshire please contact: Andy.Coles@HuntsFA.com