A new initiative to get more girls into the world of football will be launching this weekend.

SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centres from The FA will provide girls aged five to 11-years-old in the Dorchester and surrounding villages with regular opportunities to play football.

The football sessions take place on a weekly basis - starting on Saturday, May 26 - from 9am to 10am at Dorchester Leisure Centre on Coburg Road.

Dorchester Town Football Club, SSE and The FA hope the initiative will inspire participants to engage with football, meet new friends, develop fundamental skills, learn new things and create the foundation for a lifelong love of football.

Dorchester Town Community Football Club (DTCFC), SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Centre will be run in conjunction with Dorset County FA and utilise qualified coaches and local facilities. As well as activities for girls, there will also be opportunities for attending parents, carers and siblings to engage with the sport at the same time.

The initiative is in line with The FA’s Gameplan for Growth and DTCFC's vision of targeting the doubling of girls’ participation in the sport by 2020. The strategy for women’s and girls’ football at grassroots level includes initiatives alongside SSE Wildcats, such as FA Girls’ Football Week.

Mark Robinson from DTCFC will be the SSE Wildcats Centre lead coach and is excited to get started this weekend.

Mark said: "I have spent the last year visiting schools in Dorchester and the surrounding villages coaching children as part of our schools initiative scheme and have had a good really good uptake from girls to want to play football.

"We have a fantastic opportunity to build a love of the game for these girls wishing to take part in the sessions."