14th March 2017
A project that aims to encourage girls in Barrow to get active by playing football has been boosted by a £1,000 grant from the Barrow Community Trust.
Barrow AFC Community Sports work closely with schools in the Furness peninsular and run a range of innovative projects that support education, health, social inclusion and sports participation.
The ‘Only Girls Allowed’ initiative provides inter-school events for year 5 girls from up to 20 local primary schools. Coaching sessions are carried out by qualified coaches and are exclusively for girls to develop the confidence, skills and belief to enable them to take part in an inter-school girls’ football tournament at the end of their school’s free coaching sessions. Each of the schools involved receives five free sessions of coaching.
The project aims to increase levels of physical activity and offers girls the opportunity to try out a sport that is traditionally male dominated but which is now one of the fastest growing sports for girls.
Barrow AFC Community Sports also offer free ‘Only Girls Allowed’ evening sessions at Furness College to further encourage girls in years 1-6 to come along and enjoy playing football.
Community Co-ordinator, Margaret Straker, said: “The girls have become much more confident, not only in their footballing ability but in other areas of the lives. They believe they can play football to a high level, just as well as boys.
“One girl, Jordan, came along as a volunteer to the Only Girls Allowed sessions. Although football was not her favourite sport, she thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so, she is now planning on taking her Level 1 FA football Coaching Award. Jordan is so keen to progress, she is now studying sport at the local college and hopes to become a sessional coach while studying. She also volunteers for other activities run by Barrow AFC Community Sports team.”