The PESSCL (Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links) strategy, as it is more formally known, is one strand of a £459 million Government initiative which aims to encourage more children to take part in physical activity within curricular and extra curricular time - but also within clubs outside of the school environment which are recognised as being safe and inclusive for all.

The main emphasis of the school-club link programme is not only to provide more opportunities for girls and boys to become involved in football within Charter Standard Clubs but also to increase the number of Charter Standard Clubs and more importantly develop a fruitful working partnership between the County FA, the schools and the club.

This could be anything from the sharing of facilities to club coaches acting as mentors to students in various aspects of their studies.

Nine clubs are involved in the school-club link programme in Herefordshire and most of these clubs are either Charter Standard or working towards.

One of these, Weobley Football Club, is utilising the expertise of their current club coaches by allowing them to deliver sessions in both Weobley Primary and Secondary School.

The programme in this instance will last for eight weeks and will be followed by a festival for all those involved, in the hope that participants will move from the school-based sessions into the football club, who are looking to further develop their teams across all age groups.

This scheme has attracted new players to the club, to support and enhance the existing aspirations for girls' football. The partnership working with the club and school has created an opportunity for the girls they may not otherwise have had.

Paul Carpenter from the Herefordshire FA commented: "We are conscious that current relationships do already exist between schools and clubs. However, through the school-club link programme we wish to make teachers and parents fully aware of the structures that exist within the schools and the club.

"As well as increasing participation, we are very keen to ensure school to club links are strengthened and that relationships between the two are sustainable in the long term."