Women aged 35 and over are invited to participate in monthly recreational football sessions in Milnthorpe.
The sessions, the first of which is taking place this Sunday (January 7), are from noon until 2pm at Dallam School’s 3G pitch, and have been organised by the Westmorland FA and Cumberland FA.
Five of these sessions were held before Christmas and were a success.
The Westmorland FA’s Football Development Officer, Sophie Hughes, spoke to Beyond Radio about the sessions.
“The sessions are in partnership with Cumberland FA who run a “Turn Up and Play” series, and the sessions are part of that," she said.
“The women like these sessions because you don’t have to have the commitment of joining a team or weekly training and games, it’s a relaxed format for women over 35 where they can be in a friendly environment.
“They can bring friends along, we play games but we have breaks too so it makes it quite social.
“Cumberland FA also have sessions in other places like Carlisle and Workington.”
The sessions before Christmas in Milnthorpe attracted around 10 to 15 people.
“The sessions are free and for any ability, whether they’ve never played before, getting back into it or regularly playing," said Sophie.
“The sessions are shaped around what the women want to do on that day.”
The Westmorland FA also run “Wildcats” sessions for girls aged five to 12 and will run more sessions for different age groups when nights get lighter.
When those sessions do get under way, they will be advertised on The Westmorland County FA Facebook page.
The over 35 sessions are another example of the growth of women’s football in the local area.
Morecambe FC and Lancaster City FC both have thriving ladies’ teams and Millhead FC have recently started up a ladies’ side too.
Several other local football clubs have started up, or added more, junior girls’ football teams as well, such as Carnforth Rangers FC.
People interested in the free over 35 women’s sessions can fill in this form to register.
The sessions take place between on a monthly basis on the following dates:
Sunday 7th January
Sunday 4th February
Sunday 3rd March
Sunday 7th April
Sunday 5th May
Sunday 2nd June
Sunday 7th July
Sunday 4th August
There will be more sessions after August.
For more information, email Sophie.Hughes@Westmorlandfa.com
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