Page 13 - Women's Soccer Scene No.11 2020-21

London City Lionesses have announced a formal partnership with Kent Girls Elite FC, a
recently founded academy football club, to build a pathway for young female footballers
in Kent up to the professional women's game.
Kent Girls Elite currently operate from under-12 to under-16 level and the
system will feed into London City Lionesses' Development squad with the addition of an
under-18 side, which supports the first team currently playing in the FA Women's
Championship. From next season, the club's youth teams will play under the name of
London City Lionesses Kent Girls.
The partnership aims to mutually benefit the two clubs, with London City
Lionesses offering elite coaching support, football pathways and educational
programmes to an expanded pool of youth players from the Kent area.
Diane Culligan, Chairwoman, London City Lionesses said: "This is an important
moment for London City Lionesses. This marks a huge opportunity for the club to grow
and to offer those from Kent Girls Elite's existing network a pathway into the
professional game. We have been working hard to embed ourselves in the community
from day one and this is a huge step.
"I hope that many of the young players in Kent will be able to look at our first
team playing on a professional level and realise that that could be them one day."
Paul Vennard, Kent Girls Elite FC, said: "This is a really exciting partnership for
everyone involved with Kent Girls Elite FC, most of whom were affected by the closure
of the Gillingham FC Girls RTC. More importantly, this is a huge opportunity for all of
the talented footballing girls in Kent. There is now a pathway from under-12 right
through to the FA Women's Championship, the only such pathway in Kent.
"It is the next step in an exciting journey for the club, it's players and coaches,
and we hope to develop first team players for London City Lionesses in the not-too-
distant future."

Tel: (0117) 9694544 Julian Barker
E-Mail: news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk David Potham
Website: Will Cheshire
www.WomensSoccerScene.co.uk Steve Gaunt/Touchlinepics.com
Twitter:
@wssmagnews Winners of the 2006
FA National Media Award
Editors:
Neil Brown Views expressed in articles in this magazine are
Mark Brown those of the subject and not necessarily those of
Contributors: Women’s Soccer Scene and its staff.
James Prickett (www.jamesprickett.co.uk)
Patrick Higgins Issue no. 793
Front cover photo: Birmingham City striker Claudia Walker under pressure from
Bristol City captain Gemma Evans during their Barclays FA WSL clash (Will Cheshire).
Issue no. 11 - 1 April 2021 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk