60 Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre Licences Announced

In exciting news, the Football Association (FA) have shared that the first sixty Girls’ Emerging Talent Centre (ETC) licences have been allocated, which will see the number of young female players engaged in FA programmes across the country rise from 1,722 to over 4,200 by the end of the 2023-24 season.

These numbers also present a 59% increase based on the actual number of FA programmes, going from 39 programmes to 60, enabling greater access for players across the country.

I have never been a fan of the Regional Talent Club (RTC) structure. While it unquestionably offers a great environment for players to develop into the elite levels of the women’s game, it never sat well with me how those clubs just hoovered up all of the best talent within the area.

I have spoken to many clubs who continued to lose players to rivals despite them believing that if the FA opened up the RTC licences then they themselves would be able to operate at that level. Surely if that was the case then offering that increased support and funding to more clubs will raise the standard of women’s football throughout the women’s football pyramid.

Thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA recently unveiled plans to grow its existing talent programme for women’s football with the introduction of up to 70 Girls’ ETCs, aiming to sustain its future and provide a wider and more diverse talent pool for the game. Today’s announcement shows positive progress has already been made.

Kay Cossington, The FA’s Head of Women’s Technical said, “Our key aims are to provide greater access for more players whilst diversifying the talent pool, and I am delighted that the early signs show that we are well on track to achieve those aims. We are extremely excited to be working alongside such a diverse group of clubs and organisations, which will help us identify players for the future, including future England Lionesses.”

The national network of Girls’ ETCs will be aimed at girls aged eight to 16. The new Centres will operate for at least 30 weeks per season and will commence from September 2022. The Centres will be underpinned by five key areas, Better accessibility, more inclusivity, reducing the impact of early selection, more focused investment and providing more appropriate challenges.

Earlier this year, the Premier League confirmed it will provide £1.75 million per annum for the next three years to support the new network of Girls’ ETCs.

In addition to those licences already confirmed, The FA will be staging a second invitational application window for eligible clubs and organisations in targeted areas to further support the aim of greater geographical coverage and access. The full list is…