AN ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE football team is looking to create its own facilities following a surge in participation numbers.
Ashton Pumas, a girl-focused club which currently boasts 13 teams and a Wildcats group, has grown exponentially in the wake of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 success.
Such is the success and the ongoing excitement surrounding women’s football in general, 170 girls from the age of seven to 18 are signed and compete in weekly fixtures across various leagues.
However, that has come at a price for the club formed in 2010, as current facilities are becoming inadequate and unable to accommodate the steep rise in numbers.
It’s a good problem to have, however, as club secretary and Hyde United Women’s player Laura Day confirms.
Speaking to The Correspondent, she said: “It’s amazing how far we have come since the Euros.
“It is no coincidence that we have doubled in size since amid the Lionesses’ success in the Euros and their exciting journey in the World Cup.
“It’s great to see so many girls and women from the area come and join us, but we are still outgrowing our facilities on the back of this.
“We are currently in talks to having our own facilities which we need extra help and support for. If anyone is interested in supporting us in that would be amazing as girls’ football is now the fastest growing sport in the country and any help to facilitate that would be great.”
The club is certainly on an upward trajectory – but do not take Laura’s word for it – just take a look at the awards and nominations the club has received in recent years.
The latest acknowledgement for the work carried out both on and off the pitch came in the form of a nomination for Community Club of the Year at the Active Tameside Sports Award in September – a prize they won a year earlier – while Laura herself won the Alex Williams Volunteer of the Year Award at the 2022 instalment of the event.
Laura says it is an honour to be nominated for any award that recognises the work carried in various areas of the club, adding: “It was amazing to be nominated again for Community Club of the Year.
“We were proud to receive the nomination and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the hard work from our amazing volunteers to run the club both on the pitch and off it. It is a true reflection of how much heart we all put it to providing a space for girls to enjoy football in the local area.”
Laura, who featured on a BBC Breakfast segment amid the Lionesses’ journey in the Euros, revealed that the club has exciting plans for the turn of the new year.
An Australian team is making the mammoth journey to Tameside and will compete in friendlies during their visit.
It is all part of the plan to spread the word of women’s football and continue the work carried out by various clubs, groups and organisations in the wake of the national team’s inspired performances.
Not to mention the impact of two clubs in Manchester – with both the red and blue side of Manchester doing their part to raise the profile of the game and entice inexperienced players into the beautiful game.
Laura said: “The Women’s Super League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford smashed the attendance record and goes to further demonstrate just how much the game has grown in recent times – especially since the Euros and the World Cup.
“We are still getting lots of enquiries for girls to come down to us and that’s been the case since the Euros last year. Girls’ football is now the fastest growing sport in the country and we can definitely see that at Ashton Pumas.”
Although Laura spends vast amounts of her spare time coaching the youngsters at Ashton Pumas, she also laces her boots and takes to the pitch with Hyde United’s Women’s team.
And, judging by current standings, Laura and her team-mates are on course for a promising season as the Tigers currently sit second in their division.
You can find more information on Ashton Pumas at: https://ashtonpumas.co.uk/