FA Women’s Super League stars Evie Clarke and Merrick Will from London Bees plan to encourage girls to participate in football when they visit an FA Girls Football Festival on Tuesday 27th September at Peter May Sports Centre in Walthamstow.
The event, in association with Continental Tyres, is open to young girls from primary and secondary schools in years three to eight. It’s organised with the support of the Essex County FA and London Marathon Playing Fields Foundation, the host venue, and participants will have the chance to meet, chat and have a kickabout with well-known faces from women’s football.
Ilford-born 18-year-old centre-forward Evie (left) grew up in Essex football, passing through every level of the FA Football Development Programme to represent England in the Under 17s and 19s age groups, playing in the European Championships for the 17s. Team mate and central midfielder Merrick, 19, has an Essex County Cup winner’s medal in her cabinet from a 2015 success with C&K Basildon Ladies.
A range of innovative equipment including an inflatable pitch, speed cage, target shoot, quick feet and batak boards will feature plus Charlotte Lade, one of the world’s leading professional football freestylers, will be demonstrating her amazing tricks and skills.
In 2015, FA Girls Football Festivals, in association with Continental Tyres, went from strength to strength nationally, attracting over 11,000 girls across 26 events. Now a much-anticipated fixture in the annual calendar for the women’s and girls’ game, the 2016 festivals are visiting over 17 locations around the country between April and October.
Each festival is fun and interactive, combining football, lifestyle and music. They’re led by FA-approved coaches and includes sessions from the FA Skills Team, as well as Football Mash-Ups aimed at 14-17s who have either dropped out of football or are on the verge of doing so. This festival also includes skills and drills, games, mini-matches and the ContiWarmUp Programme – the newest endorsed coaching programme by The FA.
To add to the festival atmosphere, there will be giveaways, as well as hair-braiding and face-painting. FA WSL mascot Berry the Bear will also be in attendance along with Chirpy the Mascot from Tottenham Hotspur.
Kelly Simmons, FA Director of the National Game and Women’s Football, said: “We are incredibly proud of the achievements of the FA Girls Football Festivals over the last four years. They have clearly shown the enthusiasm there is across the country from young girls when they are offered the opportunity to participate in sport in general, and football in particular.”
Guy Frobisher, Marketing Director at Continental, added: “The festivals have grown year on year and have given tens of thousands of girls the chance to get involved. This will be a fantastic showcase of women and girls football which we’re proud to continue to support.”
To find out more about getting involved in grassroots Essex football visit www.essexfa.com, follow @EssexCountyFA on Twitter and search for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.
