York City may have been relegated from the Football League, but its charitable foundation is going from strength to strength...

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If you're a York girl who yearns for a bit of that kind of action - if you think you can bend it not just like Beckham, but better - take heart. It may be more possible than you think.

York's professional football club may just have been relegated from the Football League. But the community foundation that bears the club's name isn't just of Football League standard - it's Premier League quality: especially when it comes to the women's game.

Earlier this year, 34 clubs across the country were designated 'Regional Talent Clubs' - elite centres for developing girls' football.

York City Ladies in action: the club's Foundation has become an elite centre for developing the girls' game

Those 34 clubs were organised in three tiers. And right there in the top tier - alongside the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United - was humble York City.

It was a huge testament to the achievement of the York City Foundation, the charitable organisation which bears the club's name.

In the years since the Foundation was set up - as 'York City in the Community' in 2007 - it has done extraordinary work with young people (and some older ones too) across the city and wider region.

The Foundation's qualified coaches run training and educational workshops in literally hundreds of local schools.

Pupils at St Wilfrids Primary School learn dribbling and passing skills during a York City Foundation course at the school

Away from school, they run weeknight 'City Kickabout' sessions at locations across York, targeted at young people aged 11-25. They're ostensibly a chance for young people to have a good game of football, and practice some skills. But in reality they're much more than that, says Paula Stainton, the York City Foundation manager.

It's a way of engaging with young people some of whom who might otherwise be in danger of drifting off the rails. And while teaching and talking to them about football, the Foundation coaches do much more, too.

"We talk to them about school, and careers," Paula says. "They get good male role models. If they're smoking, we encourage them not to smoke. We put them through first steps in coaching workshops and give them opportunities to volunteer on our programmes." Some of the older boys involved with City Kickabouts were once themselves on the fringe of getting into trouble with the police, Paula says. "They're now helping to organise sessions."

Paula reckons something like 250 young people aged 11 to more than 20 take part in City Kickabouts every week.

Then there's 'City Inclusive': a series of programmes that offers opportunities to get involved in the beautiful game to everyone from renal patients at York Hospital to young people with Down's Syndrome (the DS Yorkies), adults with mental health issues (football therapy sessions run at Bootham Crescent to help with recovery and fitness) and even 'walking football' for the over 50s.

Paula Stainton (centre) with York City Foundation coaches Dan Parker (left) and Phil Smith at Bootham Cresent

Run every Monday at the former Burnholme School site (and now on Thursday evenings too at Bootham Crescent), the walking football sessions are hugely popular, Paula says.

They began as a way of giving parents (both mums and dads) who had come to watch their sons and daughters play get involved in a game themselves. It's essentially football at walking speed. But it's amazing how effective it is at building up fitness, Paula says.

"Our biggest difficulty with it is that as they get better, they get faster - and we have to stop them running!"

For any girls out there who might have dreamed of being the next Casey Stoney, Karen Carney or Gemma Davison, however, it is the Foundation's girls' programmes that will be of most interest.

There's City Girls, which works with girls aged from five right up to young adults, and which goes into primacy and secondary schools, and institutions such as York College and Askham Bryan College. It's not just about football, Paula stresses: that might be a turn-off for many girls. "I have a nearly 14-year-old daughter, and she's not interested in football." It's about getting girls involved in sport and fitness generally, using activities such as soccercise, a fitness training activity that just happens to involve a football.

And then, of course, for those girls who really want to take football seriously, there's the York City Regional Talent Club (RTC).

Jess Barnes looks to advance for York City ladies against Brighouse

The Foundation has been given a three-year licence by the FA to deliver the best possible coaching and education to girls and young women, and receives FA funding accordingly. It is one of just 13 'tier -one' RTCs, alongside the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. "So we're absolutely Premier League," Paula says. "It is really key for female football in this area. We're looking for top-level players from a 90-minute radius around York."

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What is the York City Foundation?

The Foundation was set up as York City in the Community in 2007 to offer football-related coaching and activities across the city.

It has grown steadily ever since.

When Paula Stainton joined as the Foundation's manager in 2009 there were five staff; four coaches and herself. There are now 12 fully-qualified coaches and 23 staff members altogether. Paula reckons that every week, something like 2,500 people - aged between three and 73 - are involved with one or other of the Foundation's programmes.

The Foundation achieved charitable status in November 2014, enabling it to tap into funding sources and sponsorship it did not previously have access to.

It remains an indelible part of York City the club and it's ethos - a local club that is all about the community. "This is such a lovely club," Paula says. "The fans are fantastic. When you get involved with them, they make you feel they're your family."

Paula Stainton at Bootham Crescent

Increasingly, however - and especially since it achieved charitable status - the Foundation is able to stand on its own two feet.

It has a range of different sponsors and stakeholders (among them Benenden, ActiveYork, North Yorkshire Sport, North Yorkshire Police and City of York Council), and also brings in money to cover costs from coaching and training. "So we don't have all our eggs in one basket," Paula says.

That's one reason why the relegation of York City from the Football League won't have as big an impact on the work of the Foundation as you might expect.

Of course, what happens on the pitch has an effect, Paula says. But the Foundation doesn't rely on the club for funding: the support it gets is more 'in kind': use of facilities, access to players, the magic of being associated with a professional football club.

So the work of the Foundation will continue, despite the agony of relegation. "We have not allowed relegation to affect us," Paula says firmly.

"We will continue to operate and do amazing work."

City chairman Jason McGill agrees - and pledges that, if anything, the work of the Foundation will continue to grow.

Jason McGill

"I'm absolutely delighted and proud of all the work that Paula and the Foundation team have achieved," he says. "The Foundation helps so many people within our community, including the vulnerable.

"The Foundation is one of the success stories at York City Football Club over the last ten years, and we look forward to further growth and enhancing our programmes as we move towards the new Community Stadium, and all the benefits that that will bring."

In the panel on these pages, we outline a few of the programmes the Foundation currently operates.

To find out more, or sign up for one of the programmes, email community@yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk or call 01904 559508.

York City Foundation programmes

• City Kickabout: weekly evening sessions for young people aged 11-25, held at venues across the city, including Huntington, Tang Hall, Clifton, Strensall, Acomb, Fulford, Haxby and, slightly further afield, Tadcaster.
• City Girls: fun fitness training sessions at schools and other educational institutions for girls aged five up to young adults
• York City Regional Talent Club: FA-funded elite training for girls and young women who want to take their football seriously. The girls of the York City Foundation RTC will be right up there in tier one of the programme alongside girls from clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

There has already been one open tryout in York, last Saturday. A second will be held this Saturday, in the morning for under 10s and under 12s, in the afternoon for under 14s and 16s. More than 200 girls from across the region have already signed up, but if you want to be the next Karen Carney or Gemma Davison and think you've got what it takes, get in touch with the Foundation now: email community@yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk or call 01904 559508.

• In-school coaching programmes: York City Foundation works with hundreds of schools across York, Ryedale and Selby, offering coaching and educational workshops within school time. The coaches can also take control of school PE sessions for an hour or a whole morning or afternoon, freeing teachers up for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA).
• City Inclusive. A range of programmes, including: 

-Walking Football: a 'slower version of the beautiful game' for those aged 50 plus. Twice weekly, Monday mornings at Burnholme Community Hub, Thursday evenings at Bootham Crescent.

- DS Yorkies: Monday evening sessions during term-time for children aged 8-16 with Downs Syndrome

- York City Inclusive Juniors: Fun Sunday afternoon sessions for young people with mild learning difficulties

- Football therapy: Football-related activities as therapy for adults recovering from mental health illnesses