Mumbles Rangers have been awarded October’s ‘Huddle of the Month’, a new initiative to tell the stories of providers across Wales.
Huddle provides a fun and friendly environment for girls aged 4-11 to try football, make friends and have fun.
Over the last couple of months, Mumbles Rangers have had over 100 girls register and participate in their Huddle programme, showing their dedication to growing the game for girls.
Natalie Pelders said, “For most girls, it’s the first experience they have with playing football, and in Huddle, they can try it out in a safe, fun, and friendly environment to make up their mind if they like it! And most girls do!
“Most important is that they enjoy it, there is no pressure so each girl can develop at their own pace. It’s lovely to see how the confidence of the girls grows each week.”
Over 100 registered girls is a huge achievement and Natalie said being integrated into the community is a key part of this:
“We have done the huddle now for five years, so we are well known in the community. We get our first sign-ups well before Easter before we even have started to advertise! We design a poster and we use social media to spread the word. And I think Saturday morning, at the beginning of the summer, suits the parents well.”
Mumbles Rangers has one of the biggest setups for girls in Wales with 300 registered girls playing for the club. Huddle has played a big part in growing their girls section over the years.
“The huddle is our pathway for girls, most girls who joined the club in the last five years have started their football journey with the huddle. Each year about 70% of the girls who have taken part in our huddle programme will become members of Mumbles Rangers,” Natalie added.
