Nottingham City of Football’s first women’s only night was a huge success with hundreds of women attending as England and Notts County defender Laura Bassett launched the inaugural event. Bassett, who was part of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad, was on hand at the first Girls Only Football night at Forest Recreation Ground on Tuesday evening to lead the event. Forest Sports Zone was taken over by women from all over Notts, with football activities, comedians, live music, dance, Footy Fit and the fastest growing female five aside league, Female Football Fives all available to the many in attendance. Laura Bassett said: “As soon as I heard that Nottingham City of Football were organising the first Women’s Only Night in Nottinghamshire I was keen to get involved and learn more. “Women’s football in this country is thriving at the moment and we want to keep it that way by promoting the game to girls and women of all ages and abilities. “Events like these are vital for giving women out there an outlet to come and take part in football or give the game a try if it’s something they’ve never had the opportunity to do before. “The World Cup last year really grabbed the nation’s attention and we have to capitalise on that and help the Women’s game get the coverage it deserves at grassroots level too. “It’s been fantastic to be part of tonight’s event and I hope it continues to be a success throughout the year with more women coming on board with the City of Football project. ”
Nottingham City of Football are using the success of the women’s game to help get more girls in Nottingham to participate in football; and with future events including a special evening for young parents and a Women’s Veteran League, this initiative looks set to continue to succeed. Lucy calkins, a guide to http://midnightpapers.com/ the writing workshop grades 3-5 when I began using the writing workshop model in my classroom, I started to truly understand the importance of meaning within writing. Katie Gibson, Programme and Partner Coordinator at Nottingham City of Football said: “We were delighted to have Laura on board for our Reclaim the Pitch women’s only night. “Tonight wasn’t just about the women that play football, but also those that coach, referee or take part in the game in other ways. “We’re really keen to showcase the different formats that football can come in and the many ways that women and girls of all ages can get involved locally. “There really is something for everyone and we’ve also launched our Women’s Veteran League and Women’s walking football sessions tonight too. ”
During the evening, the girls from NextDoorDance also performed extracts from their recent Nottingham Playhouse production, The Beautiful Game, which shows football through the medium of dance. Nottingham was crowned England’s City of Football by Sport England and will receive £1. 6million of National Lottery funding over the next two years. Key challenges to be met include raising the levels of participation in football in Nottingham promoting the cultural, social, health and educational benefits of football, supporting diversity among those playing football, and creating new initiatives, which can be replicated across other regions in the country. Find your football at.