'Our new pitch will get more girls playing sport'

"When I first stepped onto it, I was like wow, this is amazing."

Holly is 11 and a keen footballer, but she had been used to playing on a "mud patch" at the Hunslet Club in south Leeds.

Thanks to a new 3G weatherproof pitch installed as part of a project to get more women and girls into the sport, she is now able to hone her skills further and has been invited to train with Leeds United's youth academy.

The new surface is resistant to frost and heavy rain, and has improved shock absorption to reduce the risk of injury.

It was funded by the Football Foundation's Lionesses Fund, which aims to build a legacy on the success of the England women's team in recent years.

The Hunslet Club is one of 30 sites nationwide selected for the investment, and since it was opened last autumn, three new girls' teams have been formed.

The uptake has been "amazing" to see, according to Zoe Creasser, the club's marketing manager.

"We are bridging that gap between men and women in sport and boys and girls," she says.

"We are trying to equalise and the pitch has made such a difference."

Holly is one of the club's many success stories.

"The opportunity opened up from Hunslet and I got a trial for the second team at Leeds United and then I got another trial for the first team and I got in," says the schoolgirl.

"I was just overwhelmed and shocked that they saw something in me and recognised my potential."

Holly's father, Tom, who has started coaching one of the new girls' teams, says the difference in his daughter is "unbelievable".

"It has made her come out of her shell.

"She has got friends for life, girls' football is growing and every time there are just new girls coming down week in, week out."

The club also offers rugby league, and two new girls' teams have been created to train on the new all-weather pitch.

Lily, also 11, dreams of playing rugby professionally, and was originally part of the boys' teams at the club when she joined six years ago. She is now able to play with girls thanks to the development of the ground.

"I feel like rugby has always been a part of me so it is good now that we have a girls' team.

"I like making new friends and learning new skills."

The growth of girls' sports at Hunslet has also seen some of the teams travel overseas for tours.

Poppy took part in an Under 12s squad trip to the Netherlands last year.

"We raised a lot of money for it. You improve a lot on the new pitch and when we got there everybody enjoyed it."

As Leeds' only purpose-built youth centre, the Hunslet Club offers football and rugby training sessions for less than the price of a cup of coffee, as well as other activities such as boxing and dance.

Operations manager Jenny Baldwin Baker says: "We are in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds, there are not many places around they can attend and we do not want kids on the street.

"We want all young people to have these facilities, to make new friends, to gain new skills.

"It is so important that the girls have a safe inclusive space where they can develop themselves to reach their full potential."

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