CREDITON Youth FC recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of running Wild Cats sessions for girls between the age of five and 11 to give them a taste of football.

Sean Hartrey assisted by a group of players from the older girls sides decided to take advantage of the FA backed initiative. The club decided to hold the one-hour fun sessions between 5pm to 6pm on a Friday. 

Crediton Youth U13 Girls.
Crediton Youth U13 Girls. (Crediton Youth FC)

Sessions are held on the grass pitches in the summer months at Lords Meadow and on the astro surface during the winter months.

During the past five years many girls have gone through the Wild Cats programme and have progressed through to the club’s numerous girls sides. But the emphasis on the weekly sessions has always been based on fun for all.

Some of the girls who started in the original Wild Cats group have now returned to help out as helpers and have proved to be excellent role models.

Some of the first helpers have progressed to be coaches of the younger girls sides and to play adult ladies football.

The club also added Squad Girls to its Friday night session. This is another FA initiative for girls between the ages of 11 to 15 to have the opportunity to get involved in football in a fun environment.

These sessions have also been popular at the club, with some just enjoying a fun one-hour weekly session and others progressing onto the club’s older girls sides.

Crediton Youth had previously run girls sides, but since the return of girls football to the club in 2015, the growth of girls football has been amazing.

The club has been proud of its achievements and the opportunity it has given many young players to progress within the game. But more importantly the physical and social benefits it has given to young female participants.

Crediton Youth is probably one of the few clubs at present in the County to run both the Wild Cats and Squad Girls initiatives plus fielding five girls teams from Under 7’s to Under 15’s age groups.

The club also has strong links with Crediton United FC Ladies side, with a number of players and coaches having progressed from the youth section.

This really provides a one stop football pathway for any female in the Crediton area.