FA Girls' Emerging Talent Centre

Blackpool FC Community Trust are delighted to confirm that we have been successful in our application to hold an FA Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre License from next season (22/23). This license enables us to deliver the ETC programme over the next three years, enhancing girls football provision on the Fylde coast until July 2025.

The programme is designed to be a central hub for local talented female players from Blackpool, Fylde and the surrounding areas and will work in partnership with grassroots clubs to ensure the offer is beneficial to grassroots players. The Emerging Talent Centre will work with grassroots clubs, schools and local coaches to identify talented female players for this elite training experience.

The Trust plan to offer a comprehensive approach to player development, giving all girls selected access to a high quality training programme, strength and conditioning coaches, access to onsite physiotherapist, nutritional advice and health and wellbeing support. This programme will be offered free to all girls attending enabling us to remove any financial burden often faced when trying to access elite level training. Groups will also be invited to play in competitive games against other ETC programmes.

The ETC offers:

  • Up to 2 hours contact time per week (dependent on age)
  • For girls age 8 – 16
  • Centralised venue
  • Free to attend
  • Access to physiotherapist
  • Education Workshops
  • Bespoke Games Programme (built around grassroots club commitments)
  • Job opportunities within elite girls programme
  • CPD opportunities for grassroots coaches

For more information please contact: femalefootball@bfcct.co.uk or register your interest here

Monthly Updates

June 2023:

It has been a busy month for the Blackpool FC Community Trust Emerging Talent Centre! We have just finished four weeks of mid-season trials throughout May and June to find the most talented players to come in and add to our groups.

July 2023:

Our players have been working hard in training on covering a wide range of technical and tactical topics over the last month. The younger ages have worked hard on their dribbling, focusing on combining skills as well as driving into space. The older ages have been working on their pressing skills and defending 1v1s. We follow a 30-week curriculum that covers a variety of topics over the season to ensure players develop in every aspect of their game.

August 2023:

It has been a busy month for the Blackpool FC Community Trust Emerging Talent Centre! We have just finished four weeks of mid-season trials throughout May and June to find the most talented players to come in and add to our groups.

The first season of the Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) came to an end in mid-August. After 30 weeks of Friday night training, having a (very brief!) break for our players, parents and coaching staff was nice. Behind the scenes, our Female Football Department staff have been as busy as ever making sure that everything is in place and set up in time for the start of the new season on Friday 29th September.

ETC September Monthly Update 2023 – Click to read more!

October 2023:

After lots of hard work behind the scenes during the break, our FA Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre launched its second season last month! Our players and staff were raring to go after a 6-week break following the end of last season. After a strong first year last season, we believe that our squads are even stronger this year. Our players and groups have always been technically strong, but we have now added much more pace, power and athleticism to our teams.

Over the course of the 30-week season, we will work on various aspects of each player’s development including technical skills, tactical knowledge and physical development. All of this will ensure that our players are much more confident both as footballers and as young people, by the time we finish the season in April 2024.

 

A Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre specific page has been launched on The England Football Website, which includes footage from their initial launch and an overview of the programme.