Girls Centre of Excellence

photo courtesy of www.mirrorboxstudios.co.uk

Leading up to the 2011/12 season the FA carried out a robust consultation, monitoring, evaluation and review of the previous Girls’ Talent Development programme, The FA will operate 62 Talent Development Centres as opposed to the 50 FA Girls’ Centres of Excellence that have existed previously, and we are pleased to outline the new girls’ elite football pathway which will benefit all areas of the game, but most importantly for the players playing within it.

Trials 2013-14

For further information or to register a place on the trials for the 2013-14 please follow the link below:

http://surveys.thefa.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=l23H4o2

Hampshire FA Girls Centre of Excellence background

The new structure will encompass Centres which will be a combination of Player Development Centres and FA Girls’ Centres of Excellence, resulting in a restructure of the current Centres programme. Three brand new Elite Performance Camps will also replace the Regional Talent Camps.

This improved FA Girls’ Talent Development pathway will have long term sustainability, will support the entry route into the Centres at grassroots, develop grassroots clubs at younger age groups and will also provide women’s teams with well educated and better equipped players in all four areas.

The Hampshire FA Centre of Excellence is run by Technical Director, Paul Barton and Centre Manager, Martina Heath.

The U9 development squad train once a week and those who are a part of this can also still play for grassroots teams, U11-U17 squads train for 4 hours a week at venues in Southampton and Alresford with matches being played on a Saturday and the home ground being Wide Lane Sports Ground, Southampton.

The Centre draws on the skills and experience of a variety of people: the coaching, medical, welfare and administrative staff. Hampshire FA’s Girls' Centre of Excellence is not only committed to the development of the players, but to the development of its staff, to ensure that they are given the best opportunity, in the right environment to have fun, learn and develop and achieve the best that they can be.

Should a talented young girl be unable to attend an FA Girls’ Centre of Excellence due to the travel time and distance, an FA Girls’ Centre of Excellence Director can apply to The FA for special dispensation on the player’s behalf. Further details of what this dispensation entails will be available from your nearest FA Girls’ Centre of Excellence from July 2011.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the Centre as a volunteer or in any of the positions named please contact Martina Heath(Martina.Heath@HampshireFA.com).