A warm welcome to the newest members of our Adlington Law Junior Academy – the Chorley FC u16 Girls.
As part of our new ownership’s commitment to increasing community involvement and Chorley FC being a club for everyone the new squad will form an important part of a long-term plan to increase participation in women’s and girls football at the club and in the local area.
Introducing our new u16 girls team (David Airey)
Coaching the squad of 32 players, who also join our Hope & Glory Player Pathway for the 2023/24 season, will be Matt Fry, John Clark and Craig Rivers – who between them have 28 years of experience in coaching grassroots football.
We are extremely pleased and grateful to be joining Chorley FC. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the new owners, along with everyone else involved with the Magpies, for their support, believing in what we and the team wish to achieve moving forward and for giving the girls the opportunity to wear the famous black and white stripes – Matt, John & Craig
Team Background
The squad have been competing for several seasons, with a number of members having been together since under-8s. The team is open to players of all abilities aged 14 and 15.
For the 2023/24 season the squad, which trains once a week and plays matches on Saturdays and Sundays, will be participating in leagues based in both Greater Manchester and Lancashire, in what will be their final year of grassroots football.
The plan for 2024/25 and beyond is to progress towards senior women’s football, for the girls to become Chorley FC’s naturally produced women’s team and for the club to nurture and develop a full complement of women’s and girls’ teams, from development to open age.
We have been talking about a girls team for a while so I’m delighted we’ve finally got to this point. We want to develop the girls side so it works with and creates the same opportunities as the boys structure. If we can get a scholarship programme for 16 to 18-year-old girls I think it would benefit the girls massively in their development.
Having something for the girls is really important for the club moving forward allowing us to connect with the whole community. We will see from next month’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand how far and fast the women’s game is progressing. These girls can be the trailblazers for us and it’s fantastic to have them as part of the Magpie Family – Andy Preece
We look forward to introducing the squad ahead of the first team friendly with Rochdale on Saturday, July 15. Our new squad will be taking on their Rochdale counterparts at the Chorley Group Victory Park Stadium ahead of the men’s game.
With thanks to Porsche Preston, The Vella Group, Her Game Too & Rivers Electrical.
