The sun was shining on Penyrheol on the first day of half-term – all the better for one hundred budding players to enjoy a girls-only soccer camp with Swansea City.
Led by captain Katy Hosford and the club’s foundation coaches, the girls were also joined by Swans stars Robyn Pinder, Sophie Brisland-Hancocks and Sammy Wynne.
“It was really nice to see so many girls there having fun and quite a few who have never been to a football camp before when I was speaking to them,” says Robyn, who adds that she and Sophie had already discussed that whenever they went to similar events as children, they were always the only girls there.
And although girls’ camps are great places to hone the skills of talented players, they are also brilliant for other reasons – not least of all the chance to meet new people.
“It’s not always about trying to find the best players,” says Robyn. “They’re socialising with other girls from the area and making new friends – when I was having a chat with a few of the girls asking if they were enjoying it, lots of them were saying, ‘Oh, I’ve made two friends today.’”
Swansea City hope that the girls from the camp will continue to enjoy football on and off the pitch in the future – perhaps going to matches to cheer on the Swans during Phase Two of the Genero Adran Premier.
“Last time we played at the [Swansea.com] stadium, there were loads of girls in the crowd supporting us,” recalls Robyn. “We all stayed behind for an hour signing things: boots, shin pads, socks. Hopefully the camps can encourage more spectators next time – it would be awesome to see them there.”
