Coed Eva Athletic FC held an open training session at their pitches on Wednesday 29 July in Pontnewydd as part of a growing push to bring more girls into football.
The club says the turnout and enthusiasm made the event “a great success”, with girls taking part in fun drills, games and skills sessions led by coaches and members of Coed Eva’s adult ladies team.
More opportunities
Andrew Thompson, Coed Eva Athletic’s Junior & Ladies Secretary, said: “We are trying to expand the offering for girls’ football in Torfaen. Twelve months ago, Coed Eva didn’t have any all-female representation in the club. We managed to get an adult ladies team and an U13 girls team going last season. We want to offer more opportunities for girls so they are not having to join boys’ teams all the time.”
He explained that the session was designed to give girls a relaxed, welcoming space to try football – many for the first time.
“The session was put on by myself and some of my fellow coaches and members of our adult ladies team to provide an opportunity for girls to come together and play, do some fun drills and hopefully start to love the game. The feedback from parents was that the girls loved the session and enjoyed it.”
The club hopes this momentum will help them form more all‑girls teams.
“We are planning to run more sessions like this and if we can get interest and enough players to start all-girls teams. We will do what we can to make it happen for them. We will be advising anyone who attended the session last to keep an eye on our socials for further sessions.”
Coed Eva is already one of only a handful of clubs in the county with a strong female presence.
50 female players
“We are only one of five clubs in Torfaen with more than 50 female players registered,” said Andrew
He added that the club’s renewed focus on girls’ football is part of a wider effort to rebuild after a difficult period.
“After Covid, the club never really got back into its stride and our female teams pretty much disappeared. I took over as secretary in October 2024 and have been determined to get the club back to its heyday and expand our juniors offering and especially our female representation. This is why Wednesday’s session happened.
“It was our first one and given the feedback, it won’t be our last.”