Anger after academy for girl footballers is axed

Lily is one of 79 talented footballers who now have nowhere to train

The decision to scrap a football academy for aspiring female footballers has triggered "disappointment, anger and frustration" from players and their families.

Newport County AFC has told 79 promising players in the area that a lack of facilities means it will no longer run weekly skills sessions on behalf of the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

On player, Lily, 11, said it was "sad" the girls now have nowhere to train, while her father and other parents say the girls have been disadvantaged by their gender.

The FAW said it was exploring proposals to replace the service and remains committed to helping talented players across Wales.

Adam Beckett and daughter Lily were expecting news on the trials for next year's season when Newport County announced on Tuesday it was "unable to continue running the sessions due to a lack of available training facilities".

He said there was "disappointment, anger and frustration all around the abrupt nature of the cancellation".

He said unless the academy is reinstated "there is no pathway for talented girls".

Mr Beckett said Lily goes to school with boys who "will be carrying on with the same football, and she sits there and she cannot do the same thing, all because of gender".

"It's very sad because I think we all enjoyed it, and we would all like to get better," Lily said.

Lily (centre) says she doesn't know where her footballing development will take her next

"I'm definitely going to keep playing but I don't know what I'm going to do next," she added.

The secretary of Gwent county girls league, Steven McKenzie, accused Newport County of sexism, saying the situation would never be allowed to happen to boys in the area.

"They should have had a replacement in place," he said. "The FAW is not thinking about the girls.

"There's a lack of care and attention by both Newport County and the FAW."

Coach Steven McKenzie says talented girls in the Newport area will be disadvantaged if a replacement for the academy is not found

"For now their only option is to play for a grassroots club," he said.

Mr McKenzie said he is now working on a proposal that would see volunteers run the academy until a permanent solution can be found.

Newport County said it "informed the FAW in May that they would have to take over the sessions themselves again.

"The lack of training facilities in the area is not just an issue for girls’ football as we are also currently struggling to find enough facilities to satisfy our own boys programme that is compulsory through our membership of the EFL."

A spokesperson for the FAW said its "short term priority is to discuss with prospective delivery partners that have capacity to service the 79 players that were in the girls development centre in 2023/24.

Any proposal would have to meet the FAW's quality standards, it said, and players may be required to travel outside their area, adding it "appreciates the patience of all of those impacted".