An all-girls football team has smashed records by winning a boys league for the first time in the competition’s 75-year history.
The Phoenix Football Centre in Bedfordshire decided to rock the boat by taking a punt on forming a female squad for the 2023/24 season.
The journey wasn’t easy for coaches Carl Perri, Kieran Alexander, and Michael Taylor, who faced the challenge of both finding a sponsor and most importantly filling the team, let alone squad. Backlash also came in the form of condescending suggestions that they play down a year.
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As everything came together just three weeks before kick-off, the Phoenix girls entered the under 13s division 3 of the Chiltern Youth Football League. In 24 matches, the girls clinched victory in 18 of them, becoming the first girls-only team to lift the league trophy in its 75 year history.
(Image: Phoenix Football Club / SWNS)
Coach Carl Perri couldn’t be prouder, hailing the girls as “a credit to everyone” for their phenomenal season. Reflecting on their journey, he shared: “At the end of last season, we knew that we had a lot of really strong girls in the area that were exceptional at football.”
“We thought that we could do something special with them, so we started running training sessions with the girls and we pulled together a squad.”
“We struggled to get the numbers of girls to complete the full squad – and three weeks before the season, we didn’t even have a full squad. We didn’t have a pitch, and we struggled for a sponsor. In the end, we managed to get the girls in, and we kept building throughout the season.”
(Image: Phoenix Football Club / SWNS)
“We managed to find a local sponsor to help us with our kit because in our first game, we didn’t have a kit. We still, to this day, haven’t got a proper training facility, so we’re training on a rugby pitch.”
The girls and their coaches have faced backlash from the decision – with some people questioning whether the girls are capable of competing, and some rival teams refusing to shake their hands after games.
But the Phoenix girls have worked hard, and have seen a massive improvement in their skills and confidence as the season went on.
“At the beginning, we had a lot of doubters. People asked if we wanted to play down an age group – they also asked if we could even be competitive,” said Carl.
(Image: Phoenix Football Club / SWNS)
“A few people have been quite misogynistic. We’ve been told we shouldn’t be playing in the boys’ league. A few boys have refused to shake the girls’ hands after the game.”
“Despite that minority of people, the support for the girls has been fantastic. After most games, the players and the coaches come up and congratulate us because the girls are so talented.”
“At the beginning, we had doubters. People were questioning why we were doing this and told us we were going to get beaten every week. They said it wouldn’t be fair on the girls.”
“We didn’t know we’d win the league but we knew they’d be competitive and wouldn’t roll over. I don’t think they’ve realised just quite what they’ve achieved.”
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