on their way to Wembley
In February 2015 Gothic Mede Academy pupil , Darcie Orpin asked her Dad ( Neil , a Stotfold Juniors FC coach ) if he would teach her and some of her friends to play football . She was fed up of standing around on the sidelines , freezing to death watching her older brother play . So Neil asked Darcie ’ s friends if they were interested and started training sessions on the green in Stotfold on a Saturday morning . Darcie was initially joined by her friends Iona Ward , Isabell Brown , Ella Rae , Aliyah Rahman and Amelia Osborne . Over the weeks the girls chatted at school about the fun they were having with Neil and were joined by more of their friends . Stotfold Juniors Football club openly welcomed the girls to the fold and by the time the end of season presentation day came round in June 2015 there were 10 girls in the squad - 8 of them from Gothic Mede . Over the summer months the girls continued to train while Neil was busy getting them all officially registered with the club and the FA . The girls were joined by a couple of older girls from Etonbury and at the start of the 2015 / 16 season Neil had registered the team to play in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire County Girls and Women ’ s Football league . Despite the girls only being aged 8 and 9 , they had to play a league up , in the under 10 ’ s . The girls have had quite a successful first season – one of the players , Lilia Dempsey , is currently the third highest goalscorer in the league , and the team recently finished 5th in their first tournament .
There are now 16 girls in the squad : Gothic Mede pupils Darcie Orpin , Iona Ward , Isabell Brown , Aliyah Rahman , Ella Rae , Lucy McShane , Amelia Osborne and Megan Crawford ; Etonbury pupils Izzy Roberts , Maisie Hollingsworth , Amy Loran and Megan Benger . They are joined by Rosie Smith , Lilia Dempsey , Sam Sheldrick and Lillie Church .
The girls have finished the season on a real high after being invited to attend a press conference on May 6th , along with manager /
coach Neil Orpin , assistant coach Matt O ’ Dell , and parents Sam Ward and Fuzz Rahman , at Wembley Stadium for the upcoming Ladies FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea . The trip had been organised for the girls by Sallie Marjoram from Bamboo Marketing Communications as a means of promoting ladies football to grassroots teams .
The 16 girls , all proudly dressed in their amber Stotfold Jr FC kits , were given the amazing opportunity to sit and watch while the Chelsea captain and vice captain , Katie Chapman & Gillian Flaherty , and manager Emma Hayes , along with Arsenal Captain Casey Stoney and Fara Williams were interviewed by a team of TV crews . The girls visited the dressing rooms and took photos alongside the shirts of their favourite England players and then walked up the famous tunnel out on to the side of the hallowed Wembley turf . We all thought the girls were there to watch the press conference with Gillian Flaherty and Casey Stoney , and a few of them may get to ask some questions , but in fact the press conference was conducted by the girls , with the media recording it and taking photos ! The girls asked some very thoughtful questions and were truly inspired by the honest answers given by Gillian and Casey . These ladies are a true testament to what dedication and hard work to a sport they love can achieve - both of them are fortunate to also play for their country and Casey is the current England captain . The girls also had the opportunity to interview Katie Chapman and Emma Hayes - again two amazing ladies . It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to have been part of such a fantastic experience and for the girls to see how real and down to earth these professional players are . Every single person the girls met were friendly and open with them , high fiving them , signing autographs and letting us take endless photographs . The real icing on the cake was getting the chance to have professional photographs taken with the FA cup , and also with Casey and Fara - what fantastic mementos of a oncein-a-lifetime experience ! A number of the girls and their families will be there at the Final on Saturday to watch Arsenal contest their 15th cup final - with 13 wins out of the previous 14 finals , it promises to be a cracking cup final ! The girls themselves behaved impeccably and were a real credit to the club and their parents . Huge thanks have to be given to the heads of their respective schools for allowing them to finish school early on Friday for the trip .
www . facebook . com / groups / onthebutton / | # infoonthebutton | on the button issue 46 June 2016
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