Albion star opens new 3G pitch at Worthing girls’ school
A secondary school in Worthing celebrated the opening of their new 3G football pitch with the help of former Albion captain Dani Bowman.
Davison CE High School for Girls had been hoping to build a 3G pitch for a number of years, and the project finally came to fruition at the official opening ceremony on Monday (October 7).
Davison is one of the largest schools in the area with around 1,300 pupils, who will have the opportunity to play sports all year round thanks to their new pitch.
The school has had a long association with the Albion and the BHAFC Foundation. Foundation coaches work in Davison every week, coaching at after-school clubs and delivering PE lessons.
Former player and current Albion Under-19s head coach Dani Bowman – along with three of her Under-19 players – were invited to the official pitch opening ceremony.
Dani gave an inspiring talk and answered questions from the Davison pupils, before marking the pitch open by cutting the ribbon with a pair of golden scissors.
Later, Dani spoke of the importance of having proper facilities for young girls who want to get into football.
“It’s a real honour that they’ve asked us to come and open this pitch,” she said.
“It’s unbelievable for these young girls that they get to play matches on this pitch, as well as the local community and the Foundation, which is amazing.
“Some of the girls in our academy system have come from schools like these, so having these relationships is so important. Being able to work in schools and coach these girls from a young age, and also now giving them a fantastic 3G to play on, will mean we can really see what they’re capable of.
Nathan Casselton, Women and Girls Development Officer at the BHAFC Foundation, has helped to grow girls’ football in Sussex over the past five years.
“The change has been massive over the last five years,” he said.
“With the success of the Lionesses, the increase in media coverage, it’s grown tremendously and now we’re reaping the rewards. Participation levels are really high, from grassroots levels all the way into the elite pathways, and they’ve got so many opportunities to progress.
“Facilities like this allow the girls to play all year round. The Davison head teacher was telling us that their old grass pitch had all sorts of trouble with flooding and fox holes, so this pitch will mean they can play without interruption and to the best possible standard.
“The support that we get from the Premier League and the PFA allows us to be able to offer after-school clubs like this for free.”
Louisa Gearing, a PE Teacher at Davison who has been one of the driving forces behind growing football at the school, was excited to finally see the pitch open.
“It’s been five years in the making, and it’s so amazing. We feel so fortunate to have this pitch. We’re really excited in the PE department here at Davison. There’s a real buzz because it’s brand new, everyone wants to play on it.”
She also spoke about the long-standing relationship between Davison and the Foundation.
“We’ve had a relationship with the BHAFC Foundation for about eight years now,” Louisa said.
“We now get more than 50 girls coming to our after-school clubs every week. Nathan and all of the coaches have done absolute wonders for us, providing their levels of expertise and giving us so many opportunities.
“With this facility, who knows if we can get some future Lionesses coming through.”
Find out more about how the BHAFC Foundation are helping girls get into football.