For the first time in its history Solihull College & University Centre has introduced a 2nd ladies football team. The college previously had a ladies football academy, which is linked with Birmingham City Ladies Football Club, where players train and compete on a regular basis at a high level. Over the years the academy team has been extremely successful, securing many cup and league wins and the amount of students attending trials has increased.
Ladies football has recently increased in popularity resulting in Solihull College & University Centre introducing a development squad for students to take part in. The ladies get 2 training sessions a week along with regular competitive fixtures against other colleges throughout the country as well as free gym and swimming passes.
Philip Trilloe, Head of School for Sport and Public Services at Solihull College & University Centre, commented “The introduction of a second team at the college is really positive for ladies football and is a brilliant achievement for the College. We plan to grow the teams as next year more students will enrol and will be looking to play regular football. We have students travel from surrounding areas such as Gloucester and Leicester and stay with local host families so they can attend Solihull College and take advantage of the fantastic facilities we have, both academically and to enhance their sporting skills. We are all very proud of our football teams and their achievements and we will look to continue to develop both the academy and the development teams.”
The ladies academy and development teams both kick started their seasons positively with the academy team beating Neath College 16-0 whilst the development team secured a draw against tough opponents Hartpury College with a 2-2 final result.
Students who take part in the football teams also study full-time at Solihull College & University Centre in subjects such as Sports Science, Public Services and Science.
Natalie Wilcox, Sport Maker at Solihull College & University Centre is the coach of the ladies development team. Natalie commented “The development team at Solihull College reflects the growth of women’s football in the area following on from the World Cup in the summer. It is pleasing to have made history, with Wednesday 7th October being the first time Solihull College has fielded two women’s football teams. It has been a long journey, with recruitment of players coming from a large catchment area to make full use of the opportunity provided by Solihull College. A lengthy process that included trials and an induction day mean that we now have a strong and positive group of players. I am hopeful that we can have a successful first season together.”
Both teams are now looking to progress within their leagues and see many positive results.
For more information on the courses available at Solihull College & University Centre attend the next open day on Saturday 28th November.
