‘Moving at a good pace and right direction’: Lionesses’ victory boosts Peterborough women’s football

Victory at the European Championships this summer has catapulted women’s football to a whole new level of popularity, says Posh Women’s Jess Driscoll.

The 24-year-old believes the state of the women’s game as a whole is “massively growing” at a local level as a direct result of the Lionesses’ unprecedented success.

“I think it’s massively lifted spirits,” she said. “There’s more people wanting to get involved. I think it’s moving at a good pace and in the right direction.”

Driscoll, who watched the sensational tournament at her local pub in Woodston, said more girls than ever before are now showing an interest in the game.

“There has been a lot more crowds at [Posh Women’s] games which I suspect is from watching the Lionesses on TV. Overall it’s had an impact on all women’s and girls’ football.”

Jess told the Peterborough Telegraph that she first got into the sport at the age of nine when her dad, a huge Arsenal fan, encouraged her to play football with her brothers. Speaking of her own childhood experiences, the highly regarded playmaker said:

“It was actually quite difficult for me to find a local club [to play at] within Peterborough. I started off with boys and then through, playing with the boys, I found a [females only] club called Peterborough Diamonds. I played in a ladies team and I would have only just turned 16.”

Driscoll compared this with the state of things today: “Now you’ve got the ETCs (Emerging Talent Centres), you’ve got the Centre of Excellence, you've got a huge Posh Foundation, so, yes - there are definitely a lot more clubs now for girls than there were.”

Another significant consequence of the Lionesses’ victory is the explosion in the number of girls-only football teams springing up across the region for younger girls. An increasing number of primary schools now run clubs where Key Stage 2 girls can play football without boys.

“The opportunities that girls now have – the opportunities to join girls’ [only] teams – I think it’s really, really good,” said Driscoll.

She appreciated that many young girls don't feel “comfortable and confident” playing with boys.

“I think that being involved in a girls’ team really sets out from the start that this is what it’s going to be like throughout, rather than having to mix and change through boys’ and girls’ teams.”

Driscoll is largely optimistic about the future of the women’s game:

“I think everything that’s going on is a good step in the right direction”, she said.

She also believes Posh Women’s recent move to Bourne will help the club reach out to more young girls of all ages across the region:

“With the new ground, we’ve got the capacity to hold many more people,” Driscoll explained. “So the more that we promote it – on social media, bringing the mascot down, visiting schools and girls’ clubs – we should continue getting the crowds that we’re getting.”

She added:

”It’s good to have [mascot] Peter Burrow interacting with the children - he definitely encourages the kids to come down.”