Would you like to run a Wildcats Girls’ Football Centre? Essex’s application window is open until Friday 31st January to provide regular inspirational opportunities for girls aged 5-11 to have fun, make friends and play in an engaging environment.

Wildcats Centres provide girls with regular opportunities to play football and take part in organised sessions. In 2019, there were over 1,250 centres across the country, getting over 20,000 girls playing football. Following the last round of applications Essex generated 53 Wildcats centres. The Essex County FA are now looking for even more organisations to take part and deliver Wildcats Centres.

Each centre is run in conjunction with the nearest County FA, utilising qualified coaches and local facilities to offer girls a location nearby where they can get involved. The sessions take place on a weekly basis, either after school or at weekends, subject to each organiser.

They provide a safe environment where girls who don’t currently play the game can have fun engaging with sport, make new friends, develop fundamental skills, try a variety of sessions and create foundations for a lifelong love of sport.

Essex County FA Development Officer, Emma Burden, believes it’s crucial that girls get involved in the game from an early age: “Historically, many girls were missing out on a large part of their development in the younger years and coming into the game at Under 10s with no prior experience. Many boys start playing when they are five or six.”

“Wildcats addresses this by offering a female-friendly environment for individuals to get some exposure to the ‘Fundamental Movement Skills’. We have been fortunate that our proactive grassroots football clubs, coaching companies in Essex and our Football League clubs and Football in the Community schemes are really keen to get on board.”

For more detailed information about the Wildcats initiative, what is involved and the support you would receive, please download the guidance document below. You can apply to run a new Wildcats Centre via this link. Information is also shared by @EssexCountyFA on Twitter and by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.