England Ladies player pays visit to Amber Valley soccer school
England and Everton Ladies player Jill Scott was on hand to present a £9,265 cheque to Aldercar Community Language College during a half-term Holiday Girls Soccer School.
The money has been secured to promote and develop girls’ football in the Amber Valley area, and Jill took time out of her busy training schedule to visit the College and present the cheque as well as chatting with the girls, aged 10 to 14, who were taking part in football coaching sessions.
The funding is from the Football Foundation, which has awarded a grant of £8,265, and additional funds have also been secured from Derbyshire FA and Amber Valley Schools Sports Partnership.
It will be used to encourage more young girls to play football, develop young people as coaches and form links with clubs such as Codnor Girls and Derby County Ladies.
As part of a three-year plan money will be used to create a central base for staff and student development, coaching and refereeing and to help girls aged 14 and over to get on the first rung of the coaching ladder.
Money will also be used to pay for essentials such as first aid kits and transport and to organise tournaments.
Kathy Hardy, Assistant Principal and School Sports Co-ordinator at Aldercar Community Language College, said: “This funding will help greatly in the development of girls’ football in Amber Valley, and ensure that events like this holiday soccer school can continue to take place and expand.”
Jill Scott, who last week received the Players’ Player of the Year award at The FA Women's Awards for the 2007-08 season,said: “Women’s football is very rewarding.
“It’s the fastest growing sport, and ten years ago if you had come to an event like this there would have been half the number of kids here. The World Cup was on the television and 25,000 people were at the Women’s FA Cup Final, so it is become more and more popular.
“More money for the sport means better facilities and then you can accommodate more children.”
21-year-old midfielder Jill Scott joined Everton from Sunderland in 2006, and scored on her first appearance for Everton.
She is also an integral member of Hope Powell's England squad, and scored at the World Cup in China with a goal against Argentina.
The two-day Holiday Soccer School, was led by Derby County Ladies First team coach Ken Hardy (UEFA B) and supported by the Amber Valley YST Young Ambassadors, Lucy Antcliff and Oliver Blake who recently completed their first coaching badges. It included fun skills drills and tournaments, plus fun team building activities run by Flight Sergeant Chris Flack of the RAF.
As well as presenting the cheque, Jill took part in a question and answer session with the 30 young girls who attended, signed footballs and shirts and watched the girls as they practicised their footballing skills.
Girls from schools across Amber Valley took part, including Aldercar Community Language College, Long Row Primary School, Loscoe C of E Primary School, Somerlea Park Primary School, Heanor Gate Science College, Marlpool Junior School, St Johns C of E Primary School, Langley Mill Junior School and Eastwood Junior School.