BBC1 feature tonight follows visit by Sports Minister to COGs session
It’s been another busy few weeks for the Crawley Old Girls after they welcomed Sports Minister Tracey Crouch to their session last Thursday.
A keen player herself, Tracey, who was accompanied by Crawley MP Henry Smith, was keen to find out more about the COGs, and their incredible achievements of the past 18 months. Over 20 ‘Old Girls’ were in attendance to show off their skills and talk about the impact of the project.
Sandra Rees, who has been attending sessions from the beginning, said: “As a member of COGs I can honestly say that it's the best thing I've ever done. After spending years on wet/cold and sometimes sunny touchlines watching my husband play, then my son, and now my daughter, it's now my time.
“I love the fact that on a Thursday I leave them all at home to fend for themselves whilst I go out and train with my fellow COGs, it's the highlight of my week, especially if I've had a tough week. It is so liberating to kick a ball around with other mums.
“Most of the ladies had never played football before - to the extent of not even kicking a ball! At most they were touchline mums or football widows, who just fancied having a run around kicking a ball. It was set up for fun and the COGs are certainly a sociable lot.
“They didn’t know each other to start off with and roped other friends to come along. Now the bond between them is striking. It was an amazing visit and has inspired me to ask how many more ladies would be interested in this sort of initiative.’
Following the visit, Tracey committed to put the word out in local constituency in Kent with the intention of encouraging ladies to give the sport a try.
She has also invited the COGs to a charity tournament In the summer to ensure we continue to spread the word, and get more ladies into football for the first time.
Look out for a special feature on COGS - Crawley Old Girls - on BBC 1 tonight (Monday).
The film was made earlier this season and features footage of the COGS training and interviews with some of the ladies. There's even a cameo appearance from Head Coach Dermot Drummy!
BBC News have produced a trailer ahead of tonight's programme, which is part of the Inside Out programme and starts at 7.30pm.
