England international visits the Ravenscroft Girls PDC

After captaining England at the UEFA Under 17s Championship, Maya Le Tissier was back in Guernsey inspiring the next generation of players on Monday 8th April.

Maya, made a return to the Ravenscroft Girls Player Development Centre run by the Guernsey Football Association (GFA) to meet the current attendees, who are aged from five to 11, and helped GFA Women & Girls Football Development Officer, Joelle Pengelley, to referee the girls tournament. In addition, Maya spoke to the girls about her passion for the sport and her journey from playing in Guernsey through to being signed for Brighton & Hove Albion and representing and captaining England U17s.

The Ravenscroft PDC tournament was attended by 34 girls, who all enjoyed some friendly matches against girls of similar ages and being excited about being near Maya Le Tissier!!

‘It’s brilliant to hear how successful the Girls Player Development Centre is in encouraging girls to have the confidence to play football and giving them the skills to challenge for places on school and club teams. Girls football is growing in popularity and I hope that lots more Guernsey girls have the same opportunities and experiences that I have had,’ Maya commented. ‘Ravenscroft’s support of football is playing a big part in the future of football in Guernsey and I am also very grateful to them for their ongoing support in allowing me to realise my dreams.’

Women & Girls Football Development Officer, Joelle Pengelley added that;

‘The girls were really excited to meet Maya and it was lovely to see her signing their Ravenscroft goodies. I’m sure she will inspire some of them to follow in her footsteps and we want to thank Ravenscroft for their help in making this happen. It is great to see so many girls now playing the sport, with the demand from players requiring the GFA and Ravenscroft to add an extra session to the Girls Players Development Centre.’

‘The Ravenscroft PDC provides opportunities for girls to enjoy free coaching, and after the attendance of 10 sessions they are also awarded with their own kit. The sessions are based around fun and multi-skills, encouraging the girls to enjoy the experience of girl only football in a safe environment. There are currently 45 girls registered for these sessions with a wide range of schools represented and the social element of the sessions has proven to be a great developer of the girls confidence and ability to work with others. It is not just about football at the Player Development Centres, we are developing the girls as a whole into team players.’

The Ravenscroft Player Development Centre is run on a Monday at St Sampsons High School from 4.00-5.00pm and on a Wednesday at Styx Community Centre 3.30-4.30pm for all girls aged 5-11.

What is the cost of the session?

It's FREE!

What does my daughter need to wear?

Please wear trainers and comfortable clothing.

Do I need to register my daughter in advance?

No, please come along to a session, you will then be asked to complete a consent form.

What will me daughter learn at the PDC?

The Ravenscroft PDC is focused on teaching girls the basic techniques of football, dribbling, ball control, passing, turning and shooting along with team work, communication skills and fundamental movement skills, agility, balance and coordination through fun play and exciting games whilst learning the rules of match play.

Get in touch

Please contact Football Development Officer for Women and Girls Joelle Pengelley for more information regarding the Ravenscroft PDC:

E: Joelle.Pengelley@guernseyfa.com

T: 07781 441680