Coventry United yesterday welcomed back former player and current England and Notts County star Laura Bassett to take part in a girls only coaching session. Bassett, who began her career with Coventry City Ladies and has more than 50 caps for England was on hand to give the group of more than 20 girls tips and advice to help inspire the next generation of Lionesses.
Laura Bassett (Photo: SSE)
In partnership with The FA, energy firm and proud sponsor of the Women’s FA Cup SSE have provided funding to clubs across the country to help increase the number of girls playing the game. Coventry United’s girls only football sessions are part of SSE’s commitment to supporting the women’s game, from the grass roots to the bright lights of Wembley Stadium where The SSE Women’s FA Cup Final will be held in May.
As a finalist with Notts County in the first ever SSE Women’s FA Cup Final to be played at Wembley, Bassett has seen first-hand how the appetite for the women’s football has grown and believes investment in grassroots will benefit the game for years to come. “To come back to my former club and see so many girls out here, getting involved and more importantly enjoying the game is amazing to see. I’ve experienced some brilliant moments as a footballer and I would love for these girls to go on and have those same experiences.”
Coventry United Ladies First Team Manager Jay Bradford echoed Bassett’s comments and believes there is no better time to be involved in the women’s game, urging more girls to lace up their boots. “I think it’s really great that an international of Laura Bassett’s calibre is able to come and interact with our juniors. I really hope they enjoy the experience and they see that they could be standing where she is in 15 years’ time. As a club we’re hugely proud of the number of girls we’ve introduced to the game, and with SSE’s involvement we hope to be able to add many more.”
John Stewart, SSE’s Director of Human Resources believes SSE’s sponsorship of the SSE Women’s FA Cup is about more than just the elite players and is proud to be helping support the growth of the women’s game. “SSE is exceptionally proud to be sponsoring the SSE Women’s FA Cup and supporting the grassroots game, inspiring and encouraging more girls to take up the sport. For us this sponsorship not only brings huge awareness at the senior level of the game but most importantly will help dramatically increase the opportunities for girls to get involved in football.
“We’re delighted so many teams have signed up to take part and are helping deliver coaching sessions across the country to the next generation of footballers.”
You can find out more about the great work SSE are doing in women’s football here.
