Pontefract Collieries aim to boost girls and women's football participation after vital cash injection

Colls are among the latest recipients of a grant from the Trident Community Foundation, established by league sponsors Pitching In, a multi-million-pound grassroots sport investment programme powered by Entain, writes ​Mohamed Hamza.

They now hope to use the cash to increase the number of girls and women in the area playing football and inspire them to pursue a long-term future in the sport.

“We want to work towards having as many girls and women playing football as we do boys and men and this is the first stage towards that,” said club vice-chairman and director Tom Wiles.

“We know that especially around teenage years with girls and boys, there's a big drop-off from football and sports generally.

“We want to ensure that we get a girls set-up earlier so we're going create a program with our county FA, West Riding, because a lot of the time now the girls play with the boys.

"We want them to be more comfortable and it be more focused on them.

“I believe the more they enjoy it, the less likely it is they're going to quit football and sports, which means the area will be healthier and so will the country down the line.

“We can become like a blueprint for football clubs in how to increase the participation of girls and ladies in football.”

The ground-breaking Trident Community Foundation initiative sees Step three and four clubs receive grants of up to £5,000 to launch new or expand existing community-based projects and has awarded more than £400,000 to clubs since its launch in 2020.

Pontefract have previously received funding to help with a successful disability football scheme and Wiles is grateful to the initiative for its assistance in making their community projects a reality.

He added: “We had the TCF grant before and that was about getting more children and adults with disability into sport.

"The grant was really good at that and the numbers have continued to stay strong.

“Money's tight in non-league football and having that money means we can focus in on these areas that'll allow the club to grow and become even more inclusive.

“We want to make sure that there's as many girls and ladies from the area represented and playing football and this has allowed us to focus in on increasing these numbers.”

Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/

Colls aim to be more than just a football club as they aim to be a community hub for all and work closely with local councillors to continue to grow their community prescence, providing a place for people to come meet new people, learn new skills and have fun.

The club currently runs free football sessions with UEFA B coaches for juniors and adults with special edicational needs and disabilities every Monday, 5-6pm at the DeLacy Academy 3G pitch. Anyone interested in attending or who wants more information can contact Lee on 07514 816282.

The Pontefract club is also in the middle of crowdfunding efforts to raise £50,000 as part of their plans to put in a new 3G pitch and improve the Hunters Stadium.