YOUNG female footballers are being offered the chance to earn a place in Barrow AFC Performance Centre’s new girls set-up by taking part in trials next month.

The women’s game is currently on a high with the English national team securing third place at the recent World Cup – the best performance by either a male or female Three Lions squad since 1966.

And the Bluebirds are setting out on a journey to further help develop the talents of the next generation with the performance centre launching under-12s and under-14s teams, with 2015/16 trials taking place on Wednesday, September 2, at Crooklands Casuals FC in Dalton.

They are doing so on the back of their successful bid to secure grants – worth around £20,000 in total – which will fund the project. The Football Conference Trust have handed over about £15,000, the Barrow Borough Sports Council, £3,000, and Inspiring Barrow, £1,500. After the trials 32 girls, who will make up the two squads, will attend the performance centre on Friday evenings and will be coached in preparation for friendly matches.

The girls will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of young Barrovian ace Georgia Stanway, who is one of the hottest prospects in the female game as she plays for Manchester City and has represented England at youth level. Stanway is happy to back the club’s ambitious new project and has helped to promote it.

Barrow AFC Community Initiative Co-ordinator Margaret Straker is at the forefront of overseeing the project.

She said: “The interest is there at the moment because of the Women’s World Cup. It’s an area that needs to be developed in that there are so many girls who are interested in football.

“This is a unique opportunity for them to get involved in something where they can move that step higher, like the boys can.

“It’s about developing skills, but not just football skills. Sport in general gives youngsters a lot of confidence and builds up self-esteem. If girls get involved in football it’s important that there are other ways they can continue, even if they don’t become professional footballers then they could get involved with coaching, becoming a physio or why can’t they become managers?

“There are all kinds of avenues that could be open to them, so it’s just showing them that this is another opportunity for them.”

Barrow owner Paul Casson and his wife and fellow Barrow director, Stephanie, are fully behind the initiative, with club having already delivered successful ‘Only Girls Allowed’ football sessions.

Local clubs – such as Dalton girls and ladies teams – have also offered their support to the drive which aims to ensure girls enjoy the same opportunities as boys.

Preston Ladies player Yasmin Swarbrick, from Walney, Tom Hammond and Barrow Celtic player Natasha Pearson are looking forward to being the first coaches involved.

This new funding will also allow the Only Girls Allowed project to continue. This programme will run on Monday nights at Furness College where girls aged between seven and 11 will be able to improve their football skills – creating a potential pathway to the performance centre set-up next year, when it is expected that two further girls teams will be formed.

As part of a potential route to the centre girls are also coached at primary schools – which are involved through Barrow AFC Community Sports – with their next step possibly seeing them attend Only Girls Allowed sessions.

Barrow AFC’s head of youth, Tony Callister, who oversees the performance centre, added: “I think it’s a very exciting period, not only for the club but for the girls in the area in terms of them being able to come into a professional club and sitting alongside the boys’ squad.

“We believe that girls football is massively on the rise. We’ve seen what happened at the World Cup and we can look at Georgia Stanway, who is now an international who has signed on for Manchester City.

“As a football club, we want to give these girls an opportunity by nurturing them, giving them some good training and guidance and hopefully put them on a pathway to follow in Georgia’s footsteps.”

The under-12s trial is for girls who are in Years 6 and 7, and will take place between 10am and 12pm on September 2. Girls in Years 8 and 9 are invited to take part in the under-14s trial, which will be held between 1pm and 3pm.

Girls must register for the trials by contacting Barrow AFC Community Initiative Office on 01229 870458 before Friday, August 28.