There were 35 girls in attendance for Preston North End Community and Education Trust’s [PNECET] Girls Talent ID Event at Christ the King High School last week.
Delivered in partnership with the EFL Trust and England Football, the event saw girls honing their skills with the support of PNECET coaches.
As part of the Girls Talent Inclusion programme, the event provided opportunities for talented girls to be signposted to the England Talent Pathway, which in turn provides potential pathways to representing England’s junior national teams.
Girls had the opportunity to experience a variety of training drills and games on the day.
Schools Provision Officer Sagwati Malabi, who sits on the advisory board for the programme for the North West region, leads on the programme for PNECET.
Sagwati said: “It’s been a brilliant day. The girls seem to have enjoyed it, they’ve worked hard and, most importantly, they’ve had fun and they’ve had the opportunity to express themselves and show what they can do.
“It seems like the girls have enjoyed the day too. I’m really excited to see them progress when they go back to their football clubs. The event is about giving girls opportunities to play football and to be talent spotted into the England Talent Pathway.
“It gives girls opportunities to be looked at who may not get the opportunity to play football on a regular basis, who may not be able to get to training sessions on a regular basis or might not be able to get into RTCs [Regional Talent Centres] and things like that.
“This is an extension of that. It’s very important to showcase that football is for all and, at Preston North End, we’re very proud to bring about those initiatives. It’s very inspiring for Preston North End to be at the forefront of this as well.
“Football is a game for everyone. It’s exciting times to be a part of this programme with the FA and the EFL Trust.”
For more information about the Girls Talent Inclusion programme, please email sagwati.malabi@pne.com.