WHILE football has been falling foul of the wintry weather across the area, Bolton’s talented young girls play it smart, competing in the welcoming surroundings of Bolton Arena and its artificial surface.

Under cover and on the arena’s 3G pitches, girls from Bolton-based sides – as well as clubs from further afield – continued their improvement in the friendly surroundings of the Bolton, Bury and District Football League (BBDFL).Friendly in more ways than one, as the emphasis is currently on young players simply enjoying their football, developing their skills and being part of a team, rather than competing for trophies.

The girls’ ranks are still in their early stages but will soon undergo a transformation, as a number of teams currently competing in the South Manchester League have expressed their interest in joining the BBDFL.

The South Manchester League ends in the coming weeks and so Bolton’s girls football ambassador, Kelly Boag, expects a competitive league system to be in place just in time for the improving weather in spring.

“We have had a couple of teams from Manchester show interest, and some from Euxton and Clitheroe got in touch because they may be joining, just to broaden their horizons,” she said.

“So it will be an even busier time for us to arrange all the fixtures but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We intend to carry on playing friendlies for the next few weeks, the girls are really enjoying themselves and they are improving.

“The coaches and managers are keen to see these young girls develop their skills and I think they are coming on in leaps and bounds, the standard is getting better all the time.

“We’ll continue to try to get more players and coaches involved, as some teams have enough players for a team and a half while some are short.

“So there is a lot of work still to do but we are hoping it will be a big boost for girls’ football in the area.”

If you would like to get involved, either as a player, coach or referee contact Kelly via the league website at bbdfl.org