FOOTBALL-LOVING girls, aged between five and 11, will now have the choice of joining one of three SSE Wildcats Football Centres in North Yorkshire.

Two centres will be launched at Easingwold Town FC and York RI AFC in Acomb next month, following the popularity of the existing York Sport Village sessions.

The initiative, which is run in conjunction with York City’s Foundation, is part of a national FA campaign aimed at doubling girls’ participation in the game by 2020.

Organised sessions are offered in a fun and engaging environment with more than 200 clubs having been established throughout England in 2017 and a further 800 due to launch this year.

City’s Foundation have been involved in the scheme since its inception, with the Sport Village pilot centre launched a year ago and hosting weekly sessions on Saturday mornings from 10-11am.

Places at that centre can be pre-booked online at officialsoccerschools.co.uk/yorkcity with a cost of £2 per session, payable in half-term blocks.

The first of the new centres will begin on Monday, April 16 at Bull Hill in Easingwold, with sessions lasting from 5.30-6.30pm.

Girls are encouraged to just turn up and play by registering with the coach on the night and paying £2 per session.

Then, on Wednesday, April 18, girls can also take part in the new sessions at York RI’s New Lane base for the same cost and registration arrangements.

Commenting on the SSE Wildcats initiative, City’s Foundation manager Paula Stainton said: “We are absolutely delighted not only to be able to expand our offer for girls, but also to be working in partnership with two local grassroots clubs. These are true partnerships with us working together in every aspect of the centres from coaching to promotion, with a shared goal of getting more girls interested in the game on a recreational basis.”

Kat Richardson, of York RI, added: “We are thrilled to be entering into this partnership with York City and excited to be able to deliver great coaching sessions for younger girls in the Holgate and Acomb area of York.”