Sarah Hobbs reports on London FA’s PDC Festival that was held at Dulwich Sports Ground on April 9th, with seven Player Development Centres being represented.
Bedfordshire FA, Berks & Bucks FA, Essex FA, Kent FA, London FA North, London FA South, Suffolk FA and Surrey FA were all involved, in total there were over 240 girls playing on the day, with girls ranging from 7 – 15 years old.
The festival forms part of the FA Girls Player Development Centre programme where girls become part of the PDC’s through trials at the start of the season. The PDC’s offer the girls additional training alongside their own club training and matches. They are part of the FA female player pathway and sit beneath the FA Girls Centres of Excellence of which there are thirty one of across the country.
It was a fantastic day both in terms of the weather and the football on display and to add to the day Arsenal and England Ladies player Rachel Yankey made an appearance. The girls were delighted to meet iconic ladies footballer Rachel and she was able to inspire the girls as to what they could aspire to in the future if they work hard. The FA Women’s Cup was also on show and players and spectators had the chance to have their photograph taken with the trophy.
The FA Women’s Cup Final will be taking place on the 1st June at the MK Dons Stadium with the FA Girls’ Youth Cup Final taking place prior to this. To book tickets for this event please click here:
Emma Barnes, Women’s & Girls’ Football Developmet Officer for London FA says; “It was a fantastic day of football at a great venue and the occasion was even better as the sun was shining. The standard of football across the board was very good and this shows how the Player Development Centres are able to bridge the gap between grassroots football and Centre of Excellence. It was a nice addition to the day that Rachel Yankey was able to attend and meet the players as well as the Women’s FA Cup Trophy being there.”
If you are interested in trialling out for a Player Development Centre in the London area, please contact either of the following:
Natalie.doyle@londonfa.com – London FA PDC North – based at Whittington Park, Islington
Emma.barnes@londonfa.com – London FA PDC South – based at Eltham College, Greenwich
SHE KICKS – the online community for women’s football
