Guiseley AFC are helping young girls expand their horizons on the football pitch following an injection of cash from the Trident Community Foundation.

The Pitching In Northern Premier League club are reaching out to girls aged between 10 and 17 who have not had the opportunity to play football, providing them with a school-based programme led by a newly-installed girls' development coach.

The programme will involve ten schools and Paul Goodman, operations manager at the Guiseley Community Foundation, is excited by its potential.

"We are using the money to establish a programme of about 30 weeks’ worth of weekly intensive coaching sessions at partnerships and selected schools in conjunction with their PE teachers,” said Goodman.

"Hopefully that can help assimilate a greater engagement within PE and help the teachers learn how to develop and manage PE lessons more effectively.

"We will then focus on teamwork and respect in the programme to help the girls understand other elements and attributes of being involved in a football programme.

"It's not just about the act of playing football but about helping teachers gain an understanding of the relevance of football within the national curriculum.

"The programme can help the children gain understanding of a range of things through sport, such as disability awareness, anti-racism and diversity on the field.

"It's about getting girls engaged and putting those with a clear ability on a pathway to perhaps greater things and maybe a career in football.

"Hopefully a by-product is that it improves self-esteem, confidence and peer relationships for students.

"It's all about community cohesion and the football club is a big part of that, it's a pivotal focus for people who live in Guiseley."

Guiseley are among dozens of Step 3 and 4 clubs who have benefited from Trident Community Foundation funding since the initiative was launched by NPL partners Pitching In in December 2020, with more than £100,000 awarded to clubs with the aim of launching new or expanding existing community projects.

The club already run a successful recreational women’s side, Guiseley Gazelles, and want to use England’s European Championship success last summer as a springboard to grow their new programme.

"It's about allowing girls to think that football is for them and making sure they don't suffer any prejudices,” said Goodman.

"We now want to kick on the Lionesses success and that overall view to promote women's football and this funding can help us bring this to the next level.

"The funding has really helped us to reiterate that football is for all."

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/