Shardlow United SSE Wildcats Centre

Join the SSE Wildcats for the 2018-19 Season!

Derbyshire FA
The SSE Wildcats Centre portal opens for applications on Thursday 1st November.

SSE Wildcats was introduced by The FA in 2018 to provide girls, aged 5-11 years old, an opportunity to play football in girls only environments, with emphasis on fun, friendship and enjoyment. 

16 SSE Wildcats Centres have been delivered across Derbyshire this year with over 440 girls participating to date. The centres have been run by grassroots football clubs, School Sport Partnerships, SoccerstarsUK and affiliated youth leagues.  

And now, you have the chance to join them, as from Thursday 1st November, you will be able to apply to become one of our fantastic Wildcats centres!

Still unsure or need a bit of advice? We asked Sajj Akram of Shardlow United, who won our Community Project of the Year Award, to describe how he helped to make the sessions a success.

“We decided early on that we would make the training fun, family friendly, positive and involve parents as much as possible. Just having the SSE Wildcats label helped us to get girls to come and try our sessions, even though most of them had never played football, but had a passing interest. Being an SSE Wildcats centre made it easier to ease the girls into feeling comfortable with playing football.

"I can honestly say the Wildcats is a genius idea, and one that has been very successful. It allows parents to bring their daughter to a session, knowing it will be structured and fun. My advice to all new centres would be to show that you care and have a passion about girl’s football, and show an interest in the family as a whole. Treat every girl as a person first, rather than another participant. And finally, let the girls know football is for ALL!"

We want to continue to build upon the success of last season and we are welcoming applications for 2019 delivery as soon as the window opens. When your application is approved and you become an SSE Wildcats centre, you will receive funding, kit and equipment; everything you need to run your sessions. You will also be taken through induction training which will help you understand how to coach a complete newcomer.

If you want to find out more about getting involved, you can download the application guidance document, or you can contact our Football Development Officer for Youth & Education, Lauren Duarte-Mellor, on lauren.duarte-mellor@derbyshirefa.com or 01332 361 422.
DCFA Awards Evening 2018
DCFA Awards Evening 2018 | Community Project of the Year Award Video
Our Community Project of the Year winner may have only launched in April this year, but the impact its had on the local community is second to none. This inclusive initiative has provided local girls, aged 5-11, with the opportunity to play football in a safe and fun environment on a consistent basis and has gone from strength to strength since it started.

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