49 girls from Arsenal Women Development Programmes visited St. George’s Park to experience a day in the life of an international footballer.
The visit aimed to inspire the eight-16-year olds to want to play more football and be the best that they can be.
During the day, the girls experienced a full tour of the venue, taking in the indoor pitches, hydrotherapy and rehabilitation facilities, a two-hour coaching session led by FA coaches and a two- hour futsal session led by the team of Arsenal Women coaches.
What’s more, Lioness legends Rachel Brown-Finnis, Kelly Smith, Faye White, Sophie Bradley, Rachel Yankey and Casey Stoney spoke to the group and took questions in a mini press conference as part of the workshop.
The Women’s FA Cup travelled to and from the national football centre on the coach from the capital, the Three Lions Mascots - Roary, Maine and Paws made an appearance and to top off the day, the girls met the recently-appointed England Women’s Senior Manager, Phil Neville.
Doubling participation among women and girls is a focal part of The FA’s ‘Gameplan for Growth’ and this, combined with Arsenal’s aim to ‘Inspire every girl to love the game’ was a key way of bringing both aspects to life and showcased how club and country can work together.
Reflecting on the day, Tom Hartley, Arsenal Women Development Officer, said: “A few of the girls described the opportunity of coming to play at St. George’s Park as ‘a dream come true’ which is fantastic and it’s great that we can provide that.
“I think it’s a taste of what could be and gives the youngsters the motivation to be the best that they can be and encourages bravery whenever they play football.
“I’d like to thank the legends for coming to chat to the girls - they will remember this and hang on to every single word.
“Their coaches at Arsenal emphasise the same messages but to hear it from England players who have been there and done it is gold dust.
“The four pillars - technical, physical, psychological and social development are coaching focus areas.
“The big focus from the FA coaches in our session was on the psychological and social corners so we worked on confidence, creativity and decision-making.
“To see that type of session reinforces the type of work we do every single week.
“Women’s and girls’ football is growing at such a rate.
“The football is important but for us, it’s got to be fun.
“Hopefully the girls will not just leave with nice memories but they’ll have made new friends too – football is such a powerful vehicle.”
