Football-mad girls in North Yorkshire have been given a £50,000 boost from sports charity the Football Foundation.

The cash boost to the North Yorkshire Sports Partnership, in conjunction

with Sport England's Active Sports Programme, will fund a development

officer for the region to organise coaching and competitions for young players, while a North Yorkshire League will be established for female players.

The Partnership have targeted getting more than 1,000 new players in the region and links will be developed with clubs and schools to provide professional coaching and festivals.

Andy Gair, active sports manager for the Partnership, said the funding would enable the sport in North Yorkshire to build on the foundations established through the 'Partnership Youth Games', local authority and school coaching programmes.

To ensure the long-term sustainability of the programme, 75 coaches will be brought in over the next five years and 100 volunteers will be recruited and given support and training to support the development of up to 27 girls' football clubs.

Updated: 08:54 Friday, June 06, 2003