Success of Lionesses has led to girls' football 'exploding'

Easington Sports Football Club in Addison Road, Banbury, now has 33 teams, up from just five a decade ago, making it the largest football club in north Oxfordshire.

Its senior team competes in the United Counties League Premier Division South – the fifth tier of non-league football. 

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And the biggest growth for the community club has been in the female game, with five teams now playing. Easington Sports FC has also seen a spike in participation in its over 50s team and disability football team.

The volunteer-run club prides itself on its ‘ESFC’ playing philosophy of enjoyment, sportsmanship, friendship and challenge by providing opportunities for people to develop on and off the pitch and delivering charity work.

Club chairman Richard Meadows said: “It’s been a positive year for us - it’s wonderful to see membership increase and our social impact become even stronger.

“We’ve experienced growth across all areas of the club, which demonstrates the level of demand within the community. The benefits of our work are vast, with participants enjoying physical and mental health benefits from being part of a community spirited club.

“We have a clear philosophy based on core values of respect, inclusion, equality and fairness and it really sets the tone for our culture and environment. We’ve developed a strong pathway for youth players to develop into senior players.

"Alongside this, we also deliver fantastic community-based football programmes for people of all abilities.”

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The success of the England Lionesses has fuelled demand for the female game.

Easington Sports Wildcats provides new girl players aged five to 11 the chance to enjoy football via weekly sessions.

Mr Meadows added: "Girls’ football has exploded and we’re proud to provide a high-quality pathway for females. It’s exciting to see so many people falling in love with football and benefiting from the physical and social aspects of playing and being part of the community.”

Partnerships have formed a key part of the club’s growth, particularly in its community-based engagement programmes. Easington Sports delivers youth and adult disability football in Banbury in partnership with Banbury United, Adderbury Park and Oxfordshire FA.

It also jointly delivers social impact programmes including Premier League Kicks and Premier League Primary Stars in partnership with Oxford United in the Community.

“Our partnerships have enabled us to scale up our social action projects and deliver more engagement in our community,” added Mr Meadows.

This Christmas the club’s members have been donating food packages in support of Local Larder, to help Banbury residents.

Founded in 1946, to fulfil the sporting and social needs of young people on the Easington housing estate, the club has developed its Addison Road home in recent years.

It has invested in improving its floodlights, spectator seating, changing rooms and the car park. 

The FA Level 3 accredited club has strong ambitions for 2024 to continue to support its community via sport.

“Our challenge now is being able to fulfil demand, as we only have so many pitches available to us,” added Mr Meadows.

"We’re working hard to secure additional pitches and associated facilities for the benefit of the wider Banbury community."

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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