Following an extensive selection process, Preston North End Community and Education Trust [PNECET] is delighted to confirm it will be running a girls’ football Emerging Talent Centre [ETC] in Preston to increase the number of female players who are playing football at all levels in the local area.
Sixty licences have been allocated nationwide, as part of the FA’s aim to ensure that any young female player with potential can access an ETC within an hour’s drive of their home, with PNECET to run one of the nine new ETCs in the North West.
The programme will see PNECET renew its commitment to promoting women’s and girls’ football in the local area, with the ETC programme to provide elite coaching opportunities for talented young females.
The ETC in Preston will be based at Preston College and will not only provide elite playing opportunities for talented junior female players, but additional opportunities for the local community to get involved in women’s football.
One full-time staff member will be recruited to oversee the ETC and deliver further female participation opportunities in the local area, regardless of a player’s individual ability, to build participation levels in women’s football in Preston and the surrounding areas.
As a result of the ETC, further casual coaching opportunities will become available in the near future to support the development of players accessing the ETC.
The implementation of the new ETCs, from September 2022, will see the number of young female players engaged in FA programmes across the country rise from 1,722 to over 4,200 by the end of the 2023-24 season.
The national network of Girls’ ETCs will be aimed at girls aged eight to 16. The new Centres will operate for at least 30 weeks per season and will commence from September 2022. The Centres will be underpinned by five key areas:
- Better accessibility
- More inclusivity
- Reducing the impact of early selection
- More focused investment
- Providing more appropriate challenges
Earlier this year, the Premier League confirmed it will provide £1.75 million per annum for the next three years to support the new network of Girls’ ETCs.
Jessica Riley, PNECET’s Head of Health and Wellbeing, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded a licence to deliver an ETC in Preston, through which we will provide elite playing opportunities for young female players over the coming years.
“The ETC will provide more girls in Preston and the surrounding areas to access a high-quality football provision closer to their home which aligns with our vision to provide opportunities for all, regardless of any where they live or any health inequalities affecting them or their area.
“Having come through a Centre of Excellence myself as a young player – which is very similar to the set-up of an ETC – I’m looking forward to relating my own experiences to the ETC to help us to develop the next generation of young talent and unearth some of the budding female footballers in Preston and the surrounding areas.
“We hope this can be a major step in developing the women’s game in Preston, while supporting some of those in our local community to access truly unique opportunities in their area.”
Kay Cossington, The FA’s Head of Women’s Technical, said: “Our key aims are to provide greater access for more players whilst diversifying the talent pool, and I am delighted that the early signs show that we are well on track to achieve those aims.
“We are extremely excited to be working alongside such a diverse group of clubs and organisations, which will help us identify players for the future, including future England Lionesses.”
Premier League Chief Football Officer, Tony Scholes said: “The Premier League and our clubs are committed to developing football at all levels and it is important that girls across the country have greater opportunities to progress in the game.
“We are pleased to have provided the funding which will significantly enhance the pathways for young female footballers, and it is great to see the first licences allocated for the new Emerging Talent Centres.”
For more information about PNECET’s ETC, please email jessica@pne.com, or to learn more about the programme on a national level, email playerpathway@thefa.com.