GIRLS' ACADEMY UPDATE

The Girls' Academy launched in September 2019 and hosted both an under 9s squad and an under 11s squad in a matter of weeks.  By the start of 2020, an under 13s squad and an under 15s squad were added to the pathway.  Despite being just over one year old, the Girls' Academy at Dundee United Community Trust now provides a platform for 70 girls aged 5-15 to play football on a weekly basis. 

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, the Girls' Academy pathway will be enhanced with the addition of an under 7s squad and an under 17s squad. 

2021 Girls' Academy Pathway

Georgia Carter, Girls' and Women's Development Officer stated, "Seeing the girls take to the pitch at the start of 2020 was an amazing moment. In 2021 the goal is for the Girls' Academy to continue to grow and provide more opportunities for girls to get involved in football. I always want to see it improving and developing.  It is such a great opportunity for all involved, especially for the players.  The desire from every girl to push forwards within their footballing careers gives the female game so much hope for the future." 

Since youth football restarted after the lockdown, Girls' Academy has been inundated with requests with girls wanting to take part in football.  Georgia continued, “We have a fantastic team of coaches who have all helped to create a training environment that strives to make the players feel comfortable, ensures they have fun and allows them to continue developing as a footballer.  We have recently introduced performance analysis sessions to invest positively in the girls technically, tactically and as individuals.  One of our under 15s players, Zoe Maclean, recently became the first player from Dundee United Girls' Academy to play for Dundee United WFC.  It is important we always look ahead in a positive manner.  We want to create the opportunity for any young player to be able to play with us at under 7s and eventually break into the First Team Squad." 

Paul Wilson, Head of Community Development, commented on the pathway, “I am proud of the work Georgia and her team of volunteers have done to provide a platform for girls to play football at Dundee United Community Trust.  The introduction of the new under 7s squad will help provide a more suitable environment for the youngest girls in our pathway as they can now train and play with girls their own age rather than with girls who are sometimes three or four years older, and adding an under 17s squad helps support the older players in our pathway as it continues to prepare players for the transition between youth football and senior football.  We’re very excited to see how the Girls Academy grows in 2021 and beyond.” 

Taster sessions for Dundee United Girls' Academy under 7s will take place in December and are open to any budding young female footballers.  The under 17s will primarily be made of existing under 15s players however there will be training sessions in December that players who are keen to join can attend.  We also have spaces available for girls to join our existing under 9s, 11s, 13s and 15s age groups and will be holding open training sessions in December. 

If you’d like to register an interest in any of our age groups, including our new under 7s or under 17s, or would like to find out about the coaching opportunities we have please e-mail georgia.carter@dundeeunitedct.co.uk.