Blackpool FC Community Trust column: LSA win again as girls’ football goes from strength to strength

Organised for girls in years seven and eight, the competition at Stanley Park saw 12 teams battling it out for the chance to represent Blackpool FC at the Under-13s Girls Cup North West Finals in January.

There was a fantastic amount of talent on display, with high schools from all over the Fylde coast in attendance.

The event ended with a nailbiting encounter between Lytham St Annes High School (LSA) and St Bede’s.

That culminated in a 1-0 win for LSA, which secured their place at the top of the league and gave them the opportunity to represent Blackpool FC in the next round.

Andy Aspinall, the female football development manager at BFCCT, said: “It was great to see so many girls enjoying football.

“Part of my role is to use the badge of Blackpool FC to inspire local girls and encourage them to stay active and enjoy playing football.

“Hopefully, we will see lots of these girls now having the confidence to join their local grassroots teams.

“We are delighted for LSA to represent Blackpool FC in the next round of the tournament again.

“They have won the tournament five years in a row and this is, potentially, the strongest team they have had in this time.

“It is pleasing to see two of their players who are currently in our FA Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) programme and another, who is now at Manchester City Academy, who came through our ETC.”

In the next round of the tournament, LSA will play against schools representing other EFL clubs including Fleetwood Town, Preston North End, Carlisle United, Accrington Stanley and Blackburn Rovers.

Aspinall added: “We also use these tournaments to highlight the most talented players from the Fylde coast and further afield.

“We run a wide range of female football sessions for girls of all abilities and these tournaments are a great way to identify talented players to add to our elite programmes.”

BFCCT would also like to thank Blackpool Sports Centre and Active Blackpool for allowing us to use their 3G pitch at Stanley Park to deliver these tournaments each year.

Good luck to LSA in the next round of the tournament.

If you would like to find out more about any of our female football programmes, please email [email protected] for further details.