WHILE the eyes of the nation will firmly be glued on England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland tomorrow, the popularity of the women’s game in Barnsley continues to grow.
Dozens of girl teams across the area – at all age groups – are now preparing for the upcoming season.
One such team that is enjoying an increase in participation is Penistone Church’s under-14s who, due to high interest levels, will be expanding into two teams for the 24/25 campaign.
Manager Andy Woodcock said: “Due to the environment we create at Penistone our player retention is fantastic. We have a proven track record of taking girls from their first game in the sport into district, ETC, JPL and academy football.
“Whilst most of our team have been with us since they first kicked a ball, as word has spread about our coaches, brilliant parents and welcoming girls we are finding players from all over Barnsley and surrounding areas wanting to join our group.
“The only way for us to give all these girls access to grassroots football was to expand so that is exactly what we have done.”
The move to a two-team age group now means that the under-14s have available squad spaces for most positions and all abilities.
The team trains on a Thursday night at Penistone Grammar School.
Anyone interested in going along to meet the team can contact Andy Woodcock (07730 524468) or Liam Harding (07872 951289) for more details.
