Young females in 34 communities around English professional football now have the opportunity to be considered and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway. The EFL Trust announced yesterday the expansion of their Talent Inclusion Programme work with the FA into 34 communities. Brentford and our local area is one of those communities.

The EFL Trust is the charitable arm of the EFL. It was established in 2008 to oversee the work of EFL's club community organisations (CCOs). It is responsible for distributing core funding from the Premier League and The PFA to each CCO and highlights community work done by clubs across the country. Brentford FC Community Sports Trust has worked with the EFL Trust for the past 13 years and will remain involved with a lot of its initiatives.

The Talent Inclusion programme ensures that through the existing community activities of CCOs, female participants can be identified and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway. Social class, ethnicity and demographics should not be a barrier to success. CCOs are supported by an education and learning programme managed by the EFL Trust and supported by The FA.

For girls showing potential, the programme creates a pathway from community to full England honours, with an educated workforce that identifies and supports potential. CCOs will be encouraged to develop their own programme plan based on their expertise of the local area, taking into consideration known barriers faced by young girls. The programme now includes 34 Clubs who have committed their support for the next 12 months. Brentford is on this list can be seen here.

Alexis Lunn-Gadd, FA Women’s Talent Pathway Operations Manager, said: “Our Partnership with the EFL Trust contributes hugely to our ongoing work to develop and deliver an accessible and inclusive talent pathway. We are delighted that the programme has expanded to 34 Clubs. We cannot underestimate the impact of the bespoke work the CCOs will be delivering within their communities and how that will undoubtedly help unearth potential hidden talent.”