Preston North End FC player and former England international Kevin Davies has paid a visit to Carr Hill High School to celebrate the launch of the Female Football Development programme with the Football Association.
The school has been working closely with Preston North End FC following Carr Hill’s success at the Football League Girls Cup run by the club. Carr Hill won the competition and since then Jodi Kerr, Women’s and Girls’ Co-ordinator for Preston North End, has been delivering fantastic coaching sessions for the school’s girls football team.
The partnership between the club and the school has been so successful that it is being used as a case study by the FA for other areas. Footballer Kevin paid a visit to Carr Hill to help Jodi coach a session with the girls’ football team, alongside Becky Grocott and Keeleigh Savage who play for Preston North End ladies. Members of the FA and Professional Footballers’ Association were also present to watch the training session.
Around 20 Carr Hill students turn up for the weekly training sessions run by Jodi and with one pupil, Madison Hadley, already signed to a contract with Preston North End the school boasts some talented players who, with the support of Preston North End coaches, look set to have a bright sporting future.
Kevin Davies said: “I’m all for initiatives such as the Female Football Development Programme. I support any organisations that encourage sport amongst young people. There are so many benefits to playing sports, aside from the obvious health and fitness value it also helps develop team work skills and builds confidence. It was a pleasure to meet the students at Carr Hill High School and I can see there are some very talented young players.”
Year 9 student Emily took part in the activity and is a regular on the school team and at Jodi’s training sessions. Emily said: “It has been brilliant meeting Kevin today and getting the chance to train with him. My dream is to play professional football for Liverpool so meeting someone who has made a career out of playing football was inspiring. I really enjoy the training sessions Jodi runs and I feel like we all learn a lot from her.”
PE teacher Mr Doughty said: “Carr Hill High School is delighted to be working so closely with Preston North End and their talented coaches as part of the Female Football Development programme. We have some very keen and talented players at the school and the opportunity for them to learn from experienced professional football coaches is invaluable.”
Nicol Meredith, Female Football Development officer, commented: “We’re really excited to be a part of this inspiring programme, and look forward to Preston North End FC being among the clubs at the forefront of the future female game in England. The popularity of Women’s football in our city continues to grow, and we’re delighted that we can run fun sessions and open avenues for those who wish to progress beyond this. The training sessions the club is delivering to Carr Hill High School are a perfect example of how successful this programme can be.”
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CARR HILL STUDENTS CELEBRATE FA PROGRAMME SUCCESS WITH VISIT FROM PNE PLAYER
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