SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centres from The FA will provide Nottinghamshire girls aged 5-11 with regular opportunities to play football.
The initiative offers organised sessions in a fun and engaging environment created exclusively for girls. More than 200 clubs have been established throughout England in 2017 and a further 800 are set to launch in 2018.
SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football sessions take place on a weekly basis, either after school or at weekends, and provide a safe environment where girls can try football for the first time.
SSE and The FA hope the initiative will inspire participants to engage with football, meet new friends, develop fundamental skills, learn new things and create the foundation for a lifelong love of football.
Each SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centre will be run in conjunction with local County FAs and utilise qualified coaches and local facilities. As well as activities for girls, there will also be opportunities for attending parents, carers and siblings to engage with the sport at the same time through ‘Family Sessions’ including Soccercise and Walking football.
The initiative is in line with The FA’s Gameplan for Growth, with the target of doubling girls’ participation in the sport by 2020. The strategy for women’s and girls’ football at grassroots level includes initiatives alongside SSE Wildcats, such as FA Girls’ Football Week.
David Parker, the lead activator at Notts County SSE Wildcats Centre, commented: “I started playing football at a similar age to a lot of the girls taking part in these sessions and that’s when my love of football began.
“It’s so important to encourage them to enjoy the game from a young age and SSE Wildcats provide a great resource for that.”
Kelly Simmons, FA Participation and Development Director, added: “Since the launch of SSE Wildcats we have seen great enthusiasm from the girls taking part to continue learning and playing football.
“The 200 existing clubs have proved a huge success and we are pleased to be able to considerably grow the size of the initiative in 2018, offering a much higher percentage of girls across the country the opportunity to enjoy football in a safe and inspirational environment.”
Notts County's SSE Wildcats Centre will offer girls the opportunity to visit the world's oldest Football League club and have fun meeting friends every Sunday morning from 25 March.
The sessions will be held indoor on Meadow Lane's fantastic 4G facility between 10am-11am.
For more information, please email david.parker@nottscountyfc.co.uk.