Sky Blues in the Community are launching SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centres in Coventry and Warwickshire this April!
SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centres from The FA will provide 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.
Sessions in Coventry and North Warwickshire include:
- Tuesday 5:15-6:15pm – Nicholas Chamberlaine school, Bedworth, CV12 9EA
- Thursday 5:30–6:30pm – Blue Coat C of E School, Coventry, CV1 2BA
- Saturday 10:00-11:00am – The Alan Higgs Centre, Coventry, CV3 1HW
- Saturday 10:00-11:00am – Chetwynd Junior School, Nuneaton, CV11 4SE
All of the above sessions start the week commencing 9th April 2018 (costing £3 per session). The Sky Blues are giving parents the option to make a block booking (8 sessions for £24) – rewarding those who make a block booking with a Coventry City Football Club matchday experience.
This experience will include 2 free tickets to the Coventry City vs. Stevenage on the 20th April; where the girls will have the opportunity to be flag bearers, watch the game and be entered into a prize draw to win a Wildcats T–shirt and a CCFC signed football. This will need to be booked prior to the week of the 9th April.
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 and the Premier League Girls Football project delivered by Sky Blues in the Community in Coventry.
To sign up to any of the centres, please contact Sky Blues in the Community’s Football Development Officer via Email: chloe.debaes@ccfc.co.uk or Telephone: 024 7678 6349.
Chloe Debaes, Sky Blues in the Community’s Football Development Officer for Female Football said:
“From joining a football team at the age of 7 to working for the Sky Blues; football has always been my strongest passion. My love for the game has sculpted many of the decisions I have made in terms of my choice of degree and career. I dedicate my time to encouraging others to try something new, improve their ability, have fun and to build new and exciting social relationships.
"The growth of Women’s’ and Girls’ football in particular over the past few years has been amazing to witness and something I enjoy being involved in and strive to contribute to. These Wildcat centres are a fantastic opportunity for young girls to engage and fall in love with Football, just as I did.”
David Busst, Sky Blues in the Community’s Head of Community said:
“The SSE Wildcats programme is a great way for young girls to get involved in football in a safe, fun and engaging environment. Sky Blues in the Community are proud to be running 4 centres across Coventry and Warwickshire to enable opportunities for girls aged 5-11 take part in sport and physical activity and provide pathways to join FA affiliated football clubs in the area.”
Kelly Simmons, FA Participation and Development Director, said:
“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 inspiring environment.”