Tracey Crouch MP meets members of the Girls Academy at MEMS Priestfield Stadium
On September 30 Gillingham FC welcomed Tracey Crouch MP, Minsiter for Sport, to MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The purpose of this visit was to meet the Football Club’s Girls Academy and tell them that ‘This Girl Can’ by detailing the evolving participation in sport for women as well as the vast opportunities that are available to the girls, not only in football, but in sport and Leisure.
Tracey, who is also the Member of Parliament for Chatham and Aylesford, was greeted at the club by Girls Academy Head Girl, Hollie Musmeci, before being presented to by fellow Girls Academy player Laurel Collins.
Laurel presented ‘Ladies at Gillingham Football Club’ and detailed all of the activities and programmes that Gillingham Football Club offers women and girls in football, from our Girls Only Soccer Schools, through our Female Football Development (FFD) project and our Ladies first team.
Tracey was stunned by the amount of activity that was on offer for girls and ladies here at the Club, then shared her own experience of growing up in a male dominated area and wanting to “kick a football, or throw a cricket ball” all the time.
She also described how her dreams of wanting to be `a pilot, all be it for a micro second” were kicked to the kerb, because she was female, then proceeded to say “how jealous she was of the opportunity the girls had in front of them” and inspired all involved by letting them know that “you can do anything you want to do”.
Before Tracey departed she posed for a few photos with the Girls Academy, leaving the room sparkling with the message that, regardless of being female, you can do anything you want to do.
We would like to thank Tracey for taking the time to visit the Football Club and our Girls Academy.