St. Joseph’s Special Day With Casey Stoney and Alex Scott

St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Haywards Heath enjoyed a very special assembly this morning. They welcomed England internationals Casey Stoney and Alex Scott who answered the children’s questions about their footballing lives and the Women’s World Cup Qualifier on the 5th April against Montenegro.

The event was organised between the FA and Albion in the Community as part of the preparation for England’s clash with Montenegro, which will take place at Brighton’s Amex Community Stadium. Some of the St. Joseph’s pupils also got to take part in an exclusive training session with the two England defenders.

It was clear that the session meant a great deal to the children but Arsenal full back Alex Scott also found the morning rewarding. She told Latest Sport: “Doing stuff like that adds that special element of being an England player where you can put smiles on the kids’ faces.”

Organisations like the FA and Albion in the Community are making a conscious effort to improve participation in girls’ football. They’re also shaking the foundations of convention from previous generations that saw sport separated by gender.

England Captain Casey Stoney experienced this first hand. She said: “I played in the boys’ team at primary school because there weren’t enough girls to play football and no one bothered with girls teams back then.”

Luke Tyler is an Albion in the Community coach and clearly thinks there’s more to be done to improve the womens’ game.

He said: “No one’s interested in girls football, they’re starting to, but historically it’s not been in anyone’s agenda.” He went on to say trying to drive that change is hard, and they’re nowhere near where they need to be. Perhaps England’s upcoming qualifier can be a catalyst for participation in womens’ football.