In December 2019, nine girls from Northamptonshire began their journey into training as match officials, hosted at Sir Christopher Hatton Academy in Wellingborough. Female students from schools in the local area attended a presentation session led by PL Kicks consultant Rebecca Welch who talked about her career and experiences of being a professional referee.
This session is linked to the Premier League Kicks programme Northampton Town Football Club’s Community Trust run across the county. The aim is to provide free football sessions to young people living in disadvantaged areas as a way to divert them away from anti-social behaviour and crime. Wellingborough has two sites and the local schools all have students who attend weekly evening sessions.
One of the young females who attended the course was Alyssa. Alyssa attended the Premier League Girls session with Rebecca Welch and was very keen to take up the opportunity to enrol on the course.
The girls have already started refereeing games and Alyssa’s first game was Northampton Town v Portsmouth U10s Academy game which she really enjoyed and now has a taste for more.
The girls are going to be given the opportunity to referee the games for the Premier League Kicks regional tournament in May to be held at PTS Academy Stadium.
Well done Alyssa!