Stoke City Girls' FA Centre of Excellence - player receives England call up

 

Stoke City Girls' FA Centre of Excellence Under 16s player Lucy Ridgway has been called up to the England Under 15s Training Camp for the second time.

Lucy, was first called up to the England Training Camp at Lilleshall during the February half-term earlier this year , but has now been called up for a second time to again go away to the 3 day National Camp at Bradfield College, Reading along with another 30 players from around the Country.

Lucy has been with Stoke City Girls FA Centre of Excellence for 5 years, and her second call up is again reward for the hard work and enthusiasm Lucy has displayed each season she has been at the Centre.

Lucy has been playing football since the age of 9, and started her footballing career with Stoke City Girls Football Club before going for a trial at the FA Centre of Excellence. Since then, Lucy has never looked back and her footballing skills have got better and better, resulting in her being spotted by the England Scouts who regularly attend the Centre of Excellence games.

During her stay at Lilleshall and recently at Reading, Lucy was put through her paces by England’s National Coaching Staff.

Towards the end of last season, Lucy was presented to the Britannia Stadium crowd at Stoke City Football Club during their home match with Colchester United.

Lucy is the second Stoke City Girls' FA Centre of Excellence player to come through the Centre and play a part in the National set-up. Becky Hall was the first player to earn a call-up into the National set up in 2003. Becky had previously played for her local girl’s team in Staffordshire before going for a trial at Stoke City. Becky was then offered a place at the Centre, and after playing at the Centre, she too was spotted by the England scouts. Becky has since gone on to represent England at Under 17s and Under 19s level and is currently playing in the Women’s National Premier League for Birmingham City Ladies. Another past Stoke City player, Lauren Walker, is now a part of the Arsenal Ladies Academy and is regularly training with the first team squad.

 

The Girls' FA Centre of Excellence at Stoke City Football Club works in partnership with The FA and Staffordshire FA to offer the opportunity for girls aged 8–16 to participate at the Centre each season. Every summer, all players, regardless of if they have played for the Centre before or not, are invited to attend a trial period with the hope of them being offered the opportunity to join the Centre for the following season. The Centre of Excellence are also keen to offer the opportunity to trial to players during the season as well, with 4 week trials able to be offered to players recommended to the Centre, or to players who may have been spotted by one of the coaches whilst playing for their school, local club or at events organised by the Staffordshire FA.

The purpose of The Football Association Programme for Excellence is to identify players of outstanding ability and place them in a Technical and Educational programme designed to produce football excellence in conjunction with personal development. The Centre of Excellence now train twice a week and play regular fixtures during the season against other Girls' Centres of Excellence throughout the Midlands including Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town.

The Centre of Excellence employs a number of Staff to support every player’s development including a Centre Director, Administrator, Physiotherapist, Goalkeeping Coach, and 8 coaches to oversee the four age groups, Under 10s, Under 12s, Under 14s and Under 16s. All coaches are qualified FA Level 2 coaches or above.

Every season, the Centre continues to grow and increase the opportunities available for female players within the County. The Centre at Stoke City FC is Staffordshire’s only FA Licensed Girls' Centre of Excellence and provides a link between local activities and local girls' clubs and The FA’s National set up for female players.

Hopefully in seasons to come, more of the players coming through the Stoke City Girls' FA Centre of Excellence will follow in Lucy and Becky’s footsteps and will have the opportunity to show what they can do in front of The FA’s National Coaches.

For further information with regards to the Girls' FA Centre of Excellence, please contact:

Kevin Staples, Football Development Officer (Girls and Womens) or Rachael Blunt (Girls and Womens Football Coach on 01785 256994 or kevin.staples@staffordshirefa.com