Dozens of girls have been signing up for coaching with Brighton and Hove Albion’s charity arm Albion in the Community on the back of England’s success at the Euros.
Since the finals started at earlier this month, Albion in the Community has reported a 55 per cent rise in girls registering for its football sessions compared with last year.
Albion Women’s general manager Polly Bancroft told BBC Five Live: “We’ve seen an increase in participation across our programmes with our charity arm Albion in the Community.
“We’ve also had a record number of girls trial for our girls academy. It’s a direct impact that we’re seeing in the club – as well as the buzz around the city. It’s fantastic.”
Albion have hosted two England matches at the Amex since the tournament started, with almost 30,000 fans a time watching the Lionesses hit a phenomenal run of form.
Albion in the Community coach Sadie Ashby told the BBC: “At my school, Albion in the Community came along and let me know about a programme called Premier League Kicks which was quite social so I ended up getting involved. It introduced me to football in quite a nice way.”
She praised the England side and said: “They have played really well so far. They’ve been amazing. They’ve really exceeded expectations.”
To find and book a course with Albion in the Community, click here.
Brighton Galaxy Girls Football Academy coach Amelia Ritchie also spoke to BBC Five Live. She said: “We’ve been putting on free taster sessions. We’ve seen about 30 extra girls coming along to our weekly sessions.”
To find and book a course with Brighton Galaxy, click here.
Tomorrow (Sunday 31 July), England face Germany in the final of the Euros at Wembley. Kick-off is at 5pm.
What’s nice about the women’s game is how many – including the presenters Alex Scott and Fara Williams – openly admit they are gay, unlike in the men’s game where there is only 1 in the whole league.