Village club hopeful for growth in Cambridgeshire women's game
It's reported a record number of female players in the county signed up last season
With England Lionesses' Euros win last year and a World Cup round the corner, it's unclear if the grassroots game in Cambridgeshire is also looking up.
There have been blackspots in some parts of the country where the number of clubs for girls or women to join was small.
Last month, a survey of 3,000 organisations by Sported/Ring Community Pulse found more than 9 in 10 community sports groups, including girls’ grassroots clubs, were ‘extremely or fairly concerned’ on the impact of increased costs.
Manea Sirens FC play in the Cambridgeshire Women’s County League and are currently attracting a healthy turnout.
“We have around 20 players turn up for training every week and 20-25 signed on from last season and season before,” Warren Fenwick, first team manager, said.
“We are quite lucky, but without a doubt, we have lost players because they can't afford the activity.
“We asked our ladies to pay a monthly fee and we’re very conscious of the cost of living crisis that’s not going to go away anytime soon.
“And we don’t want players to turn away or feel they can’t participate because of the cost of living crisis because you’re not growing the sport.”
Despite being in a catchment area near to the likes of Fenland towns such as March and Chatteris, the club has seen players still coming to Manea to train and play on a weekly basis.
Chloe Cook, vice-captain at Manea Sirens, feels the women’s grassroots game in Cambridgeshire can be promoted more.
“I think it’s accessible to most (people),” she said.
“We’re in a village where there is a club, but it could be more accessible because I think females still feel like it’s embarrassing to play football when it’s not, because we all love it.
“Females feel like they’re never going to be as good as the men, so they steer away from playing even though women should play football, and they’re just as good.”
It’s not just about accessing women’s football in the county, but also the atmosphere it creates as Chloe’s teammate Lauren Jordan has found out.
“I played rugby when I was younger and I didn’t feel as confident,” she said.
“But moving to Manea, the team attracted me because it felt like a family; it felt so comfortable to fit in and they make you feel so welcome.
“If you have a good team around you, you’re always supported by them, and I think that it is becoming more common for women to start playing football because it’s being promoted a lot more.”
England’s victory at Euro 2022 last year may not have had an instant impact in allowing more girls and women to play grassroots football in their local communities.
It’s reported that in Cambridgeshire for the 2022-23 season, a record of more than 3,100 female players were registered to play.
"There's always a place for somebody"
But the challenges of running a grassroots club still remain.
“The most recent season, we’ve had the most numbers, and that shows the growth in the game,” Warren added.
“It’s about being visual and making sure we’re not prohibited, so ladies that want to play but maybe can’t afford it at the moment because they’ve got family or other commitments.
“We’re open to making sure there’s always a place for somebody and the finances we can work out another day.”