A WOMEN'S football team has seen a rise in newcomers attending training since England won the Euros.

Southminster United Ladies was only created in 2021.

The team now has 32 women, aged from 16 to 45, with some who had never kicked a ball before they joined.

They finished third in the Essex County Women’s Football League Division two in their first season and gained promotion to Division One.

The Essex County FA chose Southminster United as the centre for Wildcats - a training programme for girls aged between five and 11 and headed by members of the women's team.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

The club also has a new Under-9s side trained by two female coaches.

The Under-9s and Under-10s have a mixture of girls and boys in their teams.

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Southminster United Ladies’ player Sammy Hopkins, said: “You think it’s all over? - it’s only just begun.

“This is the start of normalising women’s and girls’ football and having an acceptance of anyone enjoying the game.

“I stopped playing football as a child because there weren’t enough girls that wanted to play, and I wasn’t allowed to mix with the boys at their level.

“At nearly 30 I’m now only just having the confidence to play again with my amazing team”