THE MANAGER of a women’s football team in Bradford said there has been “huge” interest in the club since the Euros began and hopes one day a local player will turn out for The Lionesses.
England won the Women’s Euro 2022 on Sunday, after beating arch-rivals Germany 2-1 after extra-time in the final at Wembley, in front of 87,192 people in the crowd.
Bradford (Park Avenue) Ladies started in 2007 and long-term manager, Neal Asquith, said the team were “in disbelief” at the result, with some even down at the stadium watching.
He added: “It’s one of them things where in 30 years’ time everybody who watched it will remember where they were and who they were with.”
Interest in the club has been on the up since the tournament began just under a month ago, on July 6.
Mr Asquith said: “Over the last month there has been a huge uptake in women contacting the club wanting to get back into football or trying the sport for the first time, which is great for the development of the game.”
There have been a host of challenges Mr Asquith and BPA Ladies have had to contend with over his 13 years in charge.
This includes referees not turning up because they did not take it seriously and unbalanced leagues where teams may lose by double figure scores and put players off for good.
BPA Ladies also currently has no junior sides, despite having an U14s team a few years ago, because they are unable to get volunteers in to coach.
Mr Asquith hopes that could change on the back of the Euros.
He said: “After the lockdown, we saw a slight decline in numbers, as people found other priorities in their lives.
“But with the success of the tournament, we hope that the uplift that we have recently seen carries on and reaches players and coaches who have never had the chance to be involved before.
“The whole city can only benefit from it.”
This is a case of keeping the ball rolling and not resting on the laurels of a magnificent tournament, according to the manager.
Mr Asquith said: “To move this forward, we have to invest in the pitches, coaching and ref courses.
“We need to make the sport available to everybody, regardless of their background.
“Bradford is a deprived city but what an achievement it would be to have a local player playing for England or having a Bradford team up higher in the leagues, on TV regularly, so the next generations can have a goal of being successful.”
If you are interested in playing for BPA Ladies, or want to help out by volunteering, email on: Ladies@bpafc.com
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