The manager of a girls football team dubbed the “invincibles” after they were named the winners of a boys’ league says he hopes the victory inspires more girls to “get involved and enjoy the sport”.
Queens Park Ladies U12s finished top in the third division of the Bournemouth Youth Football League in Dorset this month after beating boys teams Lymington Town FC U12 Sprites 3-0 on 14 April.
It topped off a season for the all-girls team which has seen them win 18 matches and draw four with no losses, scoring 61 goals and conceded just 11 against boys’ teams.
Toby Green, chairman and manager of the team, said they had proven themselves in the predominantly boys’ league.
He told i: “The big achievement is they only conceded 11 goals, their defence was so good.” He added that the team had proven themselves in the predominantly boys’ league.
Mr Green, who played football during his time in the British Army, started the football team when his daughter Olivia expressed an interest in the sport at the age of five. His older daughter Amelia already played in a boys’ team.
Queens Park Ladies, whose motto is “Be the best you”, began with just five girls and now has 150 players across 13 teams running in age from U6s to U15s. All the coaches are volunteer parents.
Mr Green said they decided to enter the U12s into the boys league this season because it would be more challenging for what he knew was already a strong team.
“If you really want to test your skills, you play the boys’ teams”, he said.
Although he said there’s no great physical difference between boys and girls at the U12s and U13s stage, the advantage boys tend to have is they have been playing the sport for longer and more frequently.
However, he added that often girls’ teams are easier to coach at that age as they are more disciplined and focused.
In the Queens Park Ladies U12s team, there are 14 girls, aged 11 and 12. The secret to their success, according to the manager, has been hard work, year-round training and starting young. They train twice a week and play matches every Sunday.
“We don’t stop for the summer or Easter holidays”, he said, “I think we only have Christmas weekend off.”
A number of them have been playing for between two and five years and four of them have been playing together since the age of five.
“I think part of it is there is a core of four girls who have been playing together since they were in the U6s and U7s, they have been playing together for a long time”, he said.
After this season’s triumph, the girls are back to their training routine and have a trip to Munich, in Germany, lined up this July before starting next season as the U13s.
Olivia Green, Queens Park Ladies U12s team captain, said: “We’ve all been together since we were little, and beating the boys shows we can play just as well, if not better!”
The Queens Park Ladies U12s’ victory comes as equality in football has become a prominent issue.
Former Premier League footballer Joey Barton hit the headlines in January for criticising female football pundits in the men’s game on social media.
Mr Green said: “Compared to the men’s game, girls’ and women’s football is still in its infancy so there’s going to be a gap.”
But he added: “There’s some serious talent coming through.”
Not least among Queens Park Ladies U12s, where both Premier League Bournemouth and EFL Championship Southampton are “aware of them.”
Mr Green added that he hoped their win would inspire other girls to take part in the sport. In a message to aspiring female footballers, he added: “Get involved, enjoy it and play with a smile on your face.”