West Lancashire Girls League in Focus

A two-page profile of the West Lancashire Girls League, named FA Charter Standard League National Award winner for 2013, an award collected at Wembley by league secretary Julie Edwards and chairperson Noel Warham. Established in 2002, it has grown from four teams to 103 in nine age groups, spanning Blackpool, Burnley, Manchester and the Wirral and drawing clubs from four county FAs. It holds the Respect League silver award, runs non-competitive under-9 and under-10 divisions with no published tables, requires visible barriers between pitch and spectators, and has around seventy referees, some still playing in the league. Fair play shields are awarded in each age group as graded by opponents, with Fillies GFC the longest-serving member club. David Burgess of Lancashire FA praises the committee’s work.