Suffolk’s budding young female footballers will get the chance to sharpen their skills at a flagship festival later this month.

The FA Girls’ Football Festival, in association with Continental Tyres, will travel to Gainsborough Sports Centre on Saturday 24th May. The festival aims to encourage more girls to participate in football by providing a fun, interactive football experience.

Beginners are invited to the free event, which incorporates football, lifestyle and music activities and is open to girls aged 5 — 16. The festival is organised with the support of the Suffolk FA and will take place from 10.30am — 3.30pm.

Speaking about the festivals, Mark Sampson, head coach of the England women's national side, said: “The Girls’ Football Festivals are a great way to get younger girls participating in the game.

“By getting girls involved from a young age we can give them more opportunity to develop, whilst increasing participation and continuing to grow the women’s game in England.”

Participants will also have the chance to play with some of the stars of women’s football as FA WSL players from Watford Ladies, Kate Natkiel and Bonnie Horwood, will be there to meet, chat and have a kickabout.

In addition, Charlotte Lade, one of the world’s leading professional football freestylers, will be demonstrating her amazing football tricks and skills.

Each festival is led by FA-approved coaches and includes sessions from the FA Skills and Football Mash Up teams. Participants will get to try skills and drills, interactive games, mini matches and take part in the ContiWarmUp programme.

Female referees' ambassador Lucy May will also be at the event, hosting workshops on officiating games through role-play using flags, whistles and cards.

An interactive trailer will house trophies and digital stations, along with a variety of innovative equipment including an inflatable pitch, a speed cage, target shoot and reaction-testing batak boards.

The FA Girls’ Football Festivals, in association with Continental Tyres, attracted more than 11,000 girls across the 33 events in 2013. Now a much-anticipated fixture in the annual calendar for the women’s and girls’ game, the 2014 festivals will once again visit over 25 locations around the country between March and October

Kelly Simmons, director of the national game and women’s football, said: “We are incredibly proud of the achievements of The FA Girls’ Football Festivals in association with Continental Tyres over the last three years.

“Our festivals have clearly shown the enthusiasm there is across the country from young girls when they are offered the opportunity to participate in sport in general and football in particular.”

Guy Frobisher, marketing director at Continental Tyres, added: “The festivals have grown year on year and have given tens of thousands of girls the chance to get involved. The day will be a fantastic showcase of women and girls football which we are really proud to continue to support.”

To find out about a Football Festival in your area visit www.thefa.com/girlsfootball and www.contisoccerworld.co.uk.

Photo: Action Images

Cookycrew added 14:14 - May 16 While this is the first positive news about Girls Grass-roots Football for some time...... It is to the enormous shame of the FA that they decided to take such a short-sighted view and ditch several Girls Centre of Excellences (Ages 10 - 16) only 3 years ago...including an extremely successful Ipswich Town COE centre - which won several European Tournaments including in Denmark, Sweden & Wales!! How much money did it cost the FA to financially support each Girls COE? Answer......less than <£5 per year. This equates to 1/2 hour of a Premership players wages. So, get your Act together Football Association...and have the intelligence to take a much more long-term view & properly structure & financially support Womens Football in this country...rather than these nice....but effectively one-off, once a year, Local tournaments!

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readtheleaguetable added 22:16 - May 16 Better late than never. Female participation in English football is appallingly low compared to many developed countries, and commments such as Scudamore's help to explain why.
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