SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centres from The FA will provide girls aged 5-11 with regular opportunities to play football in various locations across Sussex. 

The initiative offers organised sessions in a fun and engaging environment created exclusively for girls. More than 200 clubs were piloted across England in 2017 and the scheme is now being extended to more than 900 centres with 26,000 participants across the country.

SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football sessions take place on a weekly basis, either after school or at weekends, and provide a safe environment where girls can try football for the first time.

SSE and The FA hope the initiative will inspire participants to engage with football, meet new friends, develop fundamental skills, learn new things and create the foundation for a lifelong love of football.
Find a local session near you

Each SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centre will be run in conjunction with the Sussex County FA and will utilise qualified coaches and local facilities. As well as activities for girls, there will also be opportunities at some sessions for attending parents, carers and siblings to engage with the sport at the same time through ‘Family Sessions’ including Soccercise and Walking Football.

The initiative is in line with The FA’s Gameplan for Growth, with the target of doubling girls’ participation in the sport by 2020. The strategy for women’s and girls’ football at grassroots level includes initiatives alongside SSE Wildcats, such as FA Girls’ Football Week, FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships, plus opportunities to play in Women’s Recreational Festivals, 5-a-side and opportunities for getting in to and improving as a coach and referee.

Clare Nichols, Sussex County FA Football Development Officer said: “I grew up in a small rural town in Sussex and loved playing football at this age, but there were no opportunities to play other than with friends in the playground, street and recreation grounds where I learnt to love the game.

“It’s so important to encourage girls to enjoy the game from a young age and SSE Wildcats provide a great resource for that.”

Kelly Simmons, FA Participation and Development Director, said: “Since the launch of SSE Wildcats we have seen great enthusiasm from the girls taking part to continue learning and playing football.

“The centres have proved a huge success and we are pleased to be able to considerably grow the size of the initiative in 2018, offering a much higher percentage of girls across the country the opportunity to enjoy football in a safe and inspiring environment.”

For further information about Women's and Girls' football in Sussex please contact Development:

Development 
T: 01903 766855
E: Development@SussexFA.com