CREDITON Youth FC recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the return of girls football to the club.

The clubhouse hosted a get together of past and present players and coaches.

A celebration cake was cut to mark the occasion by Jess Sandland who progressed from the first reformed side to now play for Exeter City ladies and Annabel and Amelia, captain’s of the oldest and youngest girls sides.

Over the years many successful girls sides had been run from Lords Meadow.

The 2012-13 season saw the famous county treble winning U16 side run its course and the end of girls football at Crediton Youth.

In 2015 the club took advantage of an initiative being run by Devon FA to send coaches from local football league clubs into primary schools to run taster sessions for girls in years four and five.

Coaches from Exeter City FC ran successful events at Haywards and Landscore schools.

Interested girls from those sessions helped form the Under 10 side to relaunch girls football at Crediton Youth.

Not long after that, an older age group side was also formed.

Ten years on and the club is now running sides in eight different age group.

Six years ago saw the launch of the Wild Cats programme as a feeder for girls aged five to seven try out football in a fun environment and act as a stepping stone to grassroots football.

This was followed by the Squad Girls initiative to enable older girls to have the opportunity to experience football and possibly progress into youth sides.

Many of the players from the first two relaunched youth sides became the integral part of the new Crediton United Ladies team formed in 2021.

Now in its fifth season, the ladies team sees the majority, of the squad having progressed from the youth section.

Crediton Youth now have over 100 girls regularly participating in football across its four age groups from U9 to U15’s and the Wild Cats and Squad Girls groups.