OVER 320 girls between the ages of six and 15 took part in an FA Girls’ Festival at Ludlow Football Stadium last week.

The first festival of the year, organised with the support of Shropshire FA and run in association with Continental Tyres, was a resounding success with the girls having the opportunity to learn from Katie Wilkinson and Elisha N’Dow, both of whom play for Aston Villa Ladies.

Both Wilkinson and N’Dow got actively involved, taking part in the refereeing workshop and also being available for the girls to ask questions.

When Wilkinson was asked about what she thought was important for the girls to take away from the festival, she said: “Most of all they need to enjoy it, that’s the important thing. If you enjoy something you want to do it more.”

Both players agreed that if children don’t have a family connection they can sometimes struggle to get involved with sport. N’Dow believes the festivals “show girls that other girls do play. A lot of the girls have grown up playing with boys so showing that other girls do play, they can look to get on other teams.”

The girls got to experience a multitude of activities including five-a-sides and innovative testing equipment working on reaction and speed times. The session was run by FA approved coaches and gave the children a great insight into the coaching the professionals receive.