Brentford FC hosts Talent ID Women’s football tournament

Brentford FC hosts Talent ID Women’s football tournament

Last Friday, Brentford FC welcomed over 200 participants to Gunnersbury Park for their Talent ID tournament. The tournament featured schools from around London and overseas, Danish team Nørrebro United was also present on the day. The tournament saw a “Germany vs Denmark” match between the Nørrebro United team and the German School of London, in line with the UEFA Women’s Euros fixture that took place later on that evening at The Brentford FC Community Stadium.

Their Female Football Development Manager Amber Langston-Lloyd set up the tournament as part of the Trust’s active involvement in the recently expanded Talent Inclusion programme run by the Football Association and featuring 33 other English Football League club community organisations. The programme ensures that through their existing community activities, female participants can be identified and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway.

For girls showing potential, the programme creates a pathway from community to full England honours while ensuring that social class, ethnicity and demographics are not a barrier to success. With an educated workforce, potential can identify and support potential.

Tournaments such as this one are a great way for girls to showcase themselves but it’s also a way for those who haven’t really been in a grassroots team to actually progress and want to play with their school or us. Our involvement with the Talent ID programme is great because it amplifies the pathway for girls within our football programmes.

Amber Langston-LLoyd – Trust Female Football Development Manager and First team defender for Brentford FC Women

As the Women’s Euros were taking place at Brentford FC’s Community Stadium that night it was fitting that a number of the Brentford FC Women’s players were in attendance at the tournament. The players spoke about their footballing journeys and highlighted the positive impact tournaments like this have on young girls and how envious they were that tournaments similar to Fridays were not available to them when they were younger.

Playing at Brentford, you actually miss all this at grassroots level, and you miss the participation unless we come down as players and get to see it. There’s so much fantastic work going on in terms of women and girl’s football in this country and that starts at grassroots level. I’ve had girls coming up to ask questions about the EUROs themselves, some girls are going to the games, so it’s really good to see the participation and getting themselves involved.

Nadia Peters – First team defender for Brentford FC Women