Girls football in Middlesex is set to receive a huge boost this spring with a further 19 SSE Wildcat Centres set to open across the county, providing girls aged 5-11 with even more opportunities to get involved in football. 

What is SSE Wildcats? 

Launched by the Football Association and SSE in 2017, SSE Wildcats was designed to inspire girls aged between 5-11 to be involved in the sport.SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centres provide girls with regular opportunities to play football and take part in organised sessions in a fun and engaging environment created exclusively for girls. 

Each SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centre will be run in conjunction with local County FAs and utilise qualified coaches and local facilities. As well as activities for girls, there will also be opportunities for attending parents, carers, and siblings to engage with the sport at the same time through ‘Family Sessions’ including Soccercise and Walking football.

The initiative is in line with The FA’s Gameplan for Growth, with the target of doubling girls’ participation in the sport by 2020. The strategy for women’s and girls’ football at grassroots level includes initiatives alongside SSE Wildcats, such as FA Girls’ Football Week.

Middlesex FA Football Development Officer, Craig Nicholson, commented on the announcement of the new centres: 

"This is an exciting time for girls’ football in Middlesex. We now have 19 new SSE Wildcats Centres in the County that will provide exciting new opportunities for girls to play football. The Centre’s themselves are a great way for girls to get involved in the game away from school without a club commitment.

The sessions are designed to be fun, engaging and inclusive to all abilities which give young players a positive first introduction to football. An application process has just been completed and the sessions will start on different dates throughout April, lasting an initial 16 weeks. They’ll take place on a weekly basis, either after school or at weekends, subject to each local organiser.

All centres are FA approved and have been through a rigorous application process which included a compulsory training day at St. Georges Park. All coaches at the centres have a minimum FA Level 1 in coaching, FA Safeguarding certificate and FA emergency aid qualification. Centres also have an FA trained welfare officer."

Get involved

Ready to get involved in a Wildcats centre near you? A full list of centres in Middlesex can be found below. Alternatively, use the 'play football' tool to search for you closest centre. 

You can find out more about SSE Wildcats by clicking here or by contacting Middlesex FA Football Development Officer, Craig Nicholson at craig.nicholson@middlesexfa.com.