Football may attract global headlines on a professional level but the heart and soul of the beautiful game can also be found in its grass roots.
And with women’s football generating more and more coverage in England due to the increased exposure of the FA WSL and the achievements of the national team, young girls are, now more than ever, lacing up their boots and giving football a try.
Coaches like Paul Slater dedicate their time to moulding the next generation of young female stars, marked once more by Girls’ Football Week.
Girls’ Football Week aims to inspire girls across all levels of ability to play football and get active, with an added sprinkle of Disney magic and storytelling.
A variety of sessions led by FA qualified coaches will take place across the country and provide an introduction to the fundamentals of football, build key social skills and offer fun team-building exercises.
Paul, the girls' lead coach at Bromham Youth AFC, was one of several FA coaches at Bedford Modern School on Monday for a special festival of football, which saw girls from five schools in the area show off their skills and meet England star Laura Bassett.
And Paul was left delighted at seeing the beaming expressions on the girls’ faces as they took to the turf for various football-related drills and games.
“You saw from the smiles and the fun, the girls really got into it,” he said. “Some of them have never played before and in others you definitely saw some skills.
“They really got hyped up in the session – perhaps the music counts for that a little bit but it’s the football as well!
“It’s Girls' Football Week – we need to get more teams involved. We’d love to get more girls involved because the more we get the more fun we have.
“It really just creates the drive to take part and hopefully we can keep them in football for years to come.
“My message should be to give it a try, they’re going to love it. As soon as they’ve been bitten by the bug, they’ll be in! It’s addictive for them in a way.”
Two youngsters who loved the experience were Bedford Modern Year 6 pupils Tilly Sanders and Dheethya Ponnala.
Tilly, 11, said: “I really like football because you can work as a team and it’s really fun. I was really exciting and my favourite thing was playing in tournaments.”
Dheehya added: “My favourite thing about football is having fun and enjoying it, and because it’s a team sport and it really helps you communicate.”
“It was really exciting meeting Laura as well and I think it was a really good experience for me.”
Paul believes the level of interest in girls’ football is out there and Girls’ Football Week can play a vital role in getting the word out to the communities to get more playing competitively.
“Girls’ Football Week in north Bedfordshire is absolutely important. We need to get more teams involved in this county,” he added.
“There are a huge number of girls out there who are playing football but are not involved in the teams and we’d love to get the teams involved.”
Girls’ Football Week runs from 23-29 April 2018 and is supported by Disney. Sign up for free sessions at the TheFA.com/GirlsFootballWeek
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here