Up to 400 girls will be showcasing their silky skills during a football tournament at Swindon’s new state-of-the-art football hub.
Players from Swindon Town Football in the Community (FITC) and Swindon Borough Council’s Girls’ Centre for Football Excellence will be taking on teams from Tottenham Hotspur, Reading, Queens Park Rangers, Coventry City and Northampton Town on Friday (28 October).
The tournament will be held at Croft Sports Centre’s new £1.5m 4G artificial pitches, while some of the matches will be played at the County Ground extension and Nationwide Building Society’s football facilities.
Matches will be split between teams from under 17 to under 10 level and will take place between 10am and 2.30pm.
Swindon’s Girls Centre for Football Excellence currently has 300 players on its books who take part in a weekly development programme.
Jon Holloway, Swindon Town’s Football in the Community manager, said: “We are very much looking forward to giving the girls an opportunity to play at a level they deserve. All the girls have shown a great commitment within the coaching sessions and Friday gives them the chance to put their skills into a match situation.
“We want the girls from Swindon to perform at the highest level possible and, hopefully, one day a girl from within our development programme will be playing at international level.”
Cllr Keith Williams, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Corporate Services, said: “It is fantastic to see girls’ football going from strength to strength in Swindon and I wish all our teams the best of luck in the tournament on Friday.
“It will also be great to see so many girls enjoying the new football facilities at Croft, which was built in part to boost participation in girls’ football.”