Rising football star Jessica Ngunga has set her sights on playing on the hallowed Wembley turf after getting a taste of the ground as a guest for the SSE Women’s FA Cup final.

The 16-year-old from Enfield is on the books at Arsenal, represents her country at under-17 level and is one of 50 athletes currently being supported by SSE as part of the company’s Next Generation programme.

Ngunga was one of the Next Gen athletes given an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Wembley Stadium before the final, which saw Manchester City beat Birmingham City 4-1 thanks to goals from Lucy Bronze, Izzy Christianson, Carli Lloyd and Jill Scott.

The teenager believes that the experience of going behind the scenes at Wembley has spurred her on to try and emulate the stars on show last weekend.

“I spent the day looking at how reporters analyse the game as well as watching the game itself, and got to see the managers in their press conference,” said Ngunga.

“You can admire the players as they are role models, because I play football as well, it’s great to look up to people like [Manchester City player] Georgia Stanway who came up from the scheme as well.

“It’s a special moment for me – I could be playing here one day, I’ve been here a few times but I haven’t been that close to the pitch.

“It would be a great experience, and so meaningful. It’s a big stadium too!”

Ngunga has been with the Gunners, whom she has supported all her life, for two years and cites Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo as her role models.

And the teenager hoping to reach for even greater heights than the Arsenal first-team if she can continue her rapid progress.

On the international stage she is a regular in the women’s under-17 team and was part of the side that beat Republic of Ireland 5-0 in the first match of the UEFA European Women’s under-17 Championship, bagging a goal and two assists in the process.

However, the team lost their next two matches against the Netherlands and Norway to finish third in the group and exit the tournament in the Czech Republic earlier this month.

But Ngunga is refusing to be downbeat and after the teenager was chosen to be part of this year’s SSE Next Generation scheme she hopes it will act as a boost to help further her career in the growing world of women’s football.

“SSE Next Generation is a good way to get people involved and show everyone your talent,” said Ngunga.

“Women’s football and sport for women now are becoming more popular. SSE is helping women compete and hopefully it can be helpful in the future too.

“I hope to get picked for England senior team one day and get to either play for the first team or at least train for them.

“When I play for England it’s a great feeling, you see how far you’ve come from grass roots football all the way up to getting picked for your country.”

Since 2013, SSE is proud to make a difference to young people, their families and their communities, by investing in the future of sporting talent through the SSE Next Generation scheme. Keep up to date @YourSSE