A SERIES of girls’ football festivals have been arranged by the FAW Trust to coincide with the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Seven festivals have been announced across the country in June and July, which will provide girls and their families the opportunity to try football.

Each festival will have clubs and partners attending who will be putting on different stations with fun games, challenges and freebies to take home.

There will also be some guest appearances from national players.

Having just secured a record-breaking win against New Zealand in an international friendly, Wales will be setting their hopes on qualifying for the Euro 2021 throughout their next campaign which kicks off away to the Faroe Islands on August 29.

The FAW Trust has set a target of 20,000 females playing football in Wales by 2024; at present there are 6,020 girls registered at clubs across the nation.

Research suggests that girls typically have less confidence than their male counterparts, thus decreasing the chances of them joining a traditional sports club, which is why the FAW Trust are doing more to engage new audiences in varied formats to capture people’s interests.

Amongst women not playing football, the primary barrier to participation is not having had the opportunity to play at school.

Caroline Spanton, head of football development for the FAW Trust, said: “‘There is a real and genuine excitement around girls and women’s football right now with the biggest Women’s World Cup taking place, we have to capitalise on the profile of this and help generate new audiences to engage in this fantastic and inclusive game.

“These smaller campaigns and free events are a key element of grassroots football, girls want the opportunity to try football, which is something they may not get to do at school.”

To find out where your nearest festival is, go to http://bit.ly/FAWTrustFootballFestivals.