Blackpool FC Community Trust are one of 75 organisations around the country to run an FA Girls Emerging Talent Centre (ETC). This is an FA and Premier League-funded programme for girls aged u9-16 to be a part of an elite football programme. It is the only elite football programme on the Fylde Coast.
The ETC aims to identify players who are talented enough to become a part of the England Lionesses youth teams. Over the years, we have had amazing success with girls who have been a part of our programme joining WSL academy teams. Our secondary objective is to pass on the Under 16s who graduate the programme into Blackpool FC Ladies Under 18s and the Blackpool FC Ladies First Team. This will create a pipeline of talented players coming through the programme, benefitting Blackpool FC Ladies in the long run.
In the last few months, two of our ETC Under-16s players have turned 16 and have therefore become eligible to play for Blackpool FC Ladies. Abby Anderson and Liv Sturgeon have both established themselves already in the First Team and have made an immediate impact.
Anderson made her debut in October, and despite carrying an injury for the last month, has chipped in with 3 goals and 3 assists, with goals against PNE, Chorley and Warrington Town. She has brought explosive speed and aggression to the team and is constantly a threat to the opposition backline. She is flexible enough to play anywhere across midfield or our front three.
Sturgeon turned 16 in December, making her debut in the local derby against PNE. This week, she scored her first goal for the club, with the opening goal in a 3-0 win over local rivals Fleetwood Town Wrens, knocking them out of the cup at the quarter-final stage.
Andy Aspinall, ETC Centre Manager and First Team Manager,
“We are delighted for both Abby and Liv to have made an immediate impact in the First Team. We have an exciting batch of young players coming through, and we are excited add some quality and strength-in-depth to our squad. We are aiming to build a squad that is capable of promotion in the next 12 months.”
