Henry Smith MP welcomes Sports Minister to Crawley Old Girls session

Henry Smith MP has welcomed the Sports Minister, Tracey Crouch MP, to the Checkatrade.com Stadium to meet with the Crawley Old Girls (COGs) female football development group and watch their weekly training session.

Henry said;

“It’s been fascinating to see the development of COGs in such a short space of time.

“I’m grateful for the continued work of Carol Bates and Amy Fazackerley in showing that regardless of age or ability, anyone can take part in physical activity, with proper coaching and in a friendly environment.

“COGs has grown from ten participants on its first night a couple of years ago, to almost 35 women taking part across two sessions each week, with further interest and enquiries continuing from across Crawley and further afield.

“Last month I was pleased to meet Sport England to reiterate my support for the This Girl Can campaign. COGs is a great example of how we can encourage more women of all ages to get involved in sport.”

Both the Sports Minister and the Crawley MP were led on a tour of the Checkatrade.com Stadium by Carol Bates and Amy Fazackerley, the co-founders of COGs. They then met the ladies taking part in the session who spoke of the benefits of being part of the group, both on and off the pitch.

Henry Smith MP and the Sports Minister also met Marcus Doyle, who led the training session and spoke of how COGs has developed since its formation a little under two years ago. Also in attendance at the home of Crawley Town FC were Kelly Derham, the club’s Operations Director, and Bruce Talbot, the club’s General Manager.

The Minister for Sport, Tourism & Heritage, Tracey Crouch MP, commented;

“I was delighted to come to West Sussex and meet the inspirational Crawley Old Girls.

“I want to see more initiatives such as this that encourage people over the age of 25 to take part in sport.

“Many of the women I met in Crawley were new to the game and it was great to see the remarkable team spirit on show.

“I hope the Crawley Old Girls continue to go from strength to strength.”

Pictures courtesy of James Boardman.