FC Rangers Vixens reach first final as girls' football grows around Fylde coast

The Boundary Park team will face Walton-le-Dale Juniors in the plate final of the Poulton and District Primary League girls’ competition at Poolfoot Farm in Thornton this Sunday (1.30pm).

The FC Rangers girls’ team has grown fast thanks to the hard work of manager Paula Gray, her dedicated coaches and all the volunteers at the Blackpool club.

These include committee member Stephanie Richardson, who serves as social media manager.

Stephanie told The Gazette: “Everyone involved has worked super-hard to reach this final. We won four games to get there and beat Myerscough in the semi-finals.

“All the girls love being together and they play with a smile on their face, which is what it’s all about.

“My daughter Sophie had been through problems and had lost self-confidence.

“Thanks to being part of this team, she feel accepted and part of a group that supports her and loves her no matter what. It’s helping her mental and physical health, and she’s super-proud to be part of a great team.

“We are trying to encourage girls to play football as much as possible. It seems a lot of girls want to play but have trouble finding clubs with a girls’ team.

“We had to start from scratch at FC Rangers but all the girls love it and play their hearts out.”

While girls have long played in mixed teams at Fylde coast junior clubs, the hope now is that the number of teams purely for girls will increase.

FC Rangers secretary Steve Jackson said: “The girls’ game is really growing and we wanted a girls’ team, and luckily Paula jumped in and has done a brilliant job in building the team. We also have great parents, which you need, supporting the girls every week.

“We are in our 51st year and this is our first girls’ team. We are really proud of them and there is talk of starting another girls’ team for under-sevens.

“We were one of the first junior clubs on the Fylde coast to have a mixed teams and we now have quite a few, though it’s good to have a girls’ team.

“Other clubs are forming girls’ teams too, though our under-11s are having to play teams from around Lancashire. It would be nice to have a Fylde coast competition eventually.”

FC Rangers Vixens wish to thank their sponsors ARG Building Ltd (blue kits), Redmans Autos (pink kits) and CCabs (tracksuits) for their support.

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