EASTLEIGH announce plans to launch a brand-new scholarship programme for girls football at the Spitfires’ academy, starting in the 2022-23 season.

The club’s Ladies side earned promotion to step five of the football pyramid and now want to push on even further, as women’s football continues to grow.

The scholarship, one of the first of its kind in the whole of Hampshire, will allow girls aged 16-18 to study and train full time at Eastleigh.

To add, the club are inviting those interested to an open day on Monday, November 1 where head of youth development and men’s first-team assistant manager Jason Bristow will provide more information.

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Of the announcement, Bristow said: “We are really excited to announce our plans to bring in a new girls scholarship alongside our existing boys scholarship programme at the football club.

Daily Echo: Eastleigh's Ladies team (Pic: Tom Mulholland)Eastleigh's Ladies team (Pic: Tom Mulholland)

“We have seen how much the Eastleigh Ladies side have progressed in recent seasons and how much the club looks to bring the Men’s and Women’s teams together, so this is a really positive step to develop the Women’s game at Eastleigh even further.

“With our Academy also progressing year on year, it feels like the perfect time to bring our already successful scholarship model to the Women’s game, as we want to become the go-to club for 16-18 year old girls to train and play alongside their full-time education.

“With our professional facilities and UEFA qualified coaching, as well as exciting pathways at the football club, we hope that the next generation of women’s players will look to us as the future of their development on and off the pitch.”

Club chairman Kenny Amor added: ““This is a fantastic opportunity to grow the Women’s game even further at the club.

“We are so proud of how much our Eastleigh Ladies side have progressed already, which has been shown with their promotion to step five of the pyramid last year.

"We really hope that this scholarship can be a success for the long term, as we want to become one of the leading clubs in the area to help both young boys and girls footballers to develop into the Men’s and Women’s game.”