Gillingham FC Academy student and Gillingham Ladies player, Georgia Reece is helping to develop female football across Kent.
As part of her education at the academy Georgia has gained her FA Level 1 in Coaching Football Award and currently undertaking her Level 2, is keen to use her qualifications to help develop the next generation. Georgia has been given the opportunity to work alongside the clubs Community Coaches and start delivering PE lessons to girls as young as 7 years old at local Primary School, English Martyrs in Strood for the remainder of the school year.
This summer Georgia will graduate from the Academy and will be heading off to University in America, upon her return she will be looking to become a teacher so this is a great experience for her future career.
Reece said “I’m really excited to coach at the school and work with the children and I can’t wait to help them develop and gain new experiences.”
Alongside coaching Georgia is also actively involved in all aspects of the game and just last week joined Gills player Bradley Garmston and Female Football Development Officer, Georgia Bowie at a FFD (Female Football Development programme) session at the Abby School in Faversham.
The aim of FFD sessions are to encourage girls aged 14 and over to get active and involved in sport, in particular football. Georgia was on hand to talk to the girls about her experiences in football and how she is developing through the player pathway at the Gills before getting stuck in to the session and showing off her skills.
Georgia is also a qualified referee and once the FFD session had finished she stayed at the school to officiate two games for the Gills Girls Centre of Excellence. As a graduate of the Centre, Georgia is no stranger to the squads and has continued to attend training and assist with the younger age groups, so it’s fantastic for them to see her taking control of their games and showing off her other passion in football.
To round off a busy week Georgia referred the Centre’s U15s match against Brighton COE on Saturday morning before cheering on her teammates on Sunday as the Ladies played top of the table Crystal Palace.
Bowie said, “It’s been a pleasure to watch Georgia progress over the years and see her confidence grow as she helps develop younger players. Georgia is a joy to have at the club and she is always wanting to give back, her family are very supportive of her development and we thank them all for their commitment. We are very proud of the young lady Georgia is becoming and will be sorely missed when she heads over to the States, but we know she will do fantastic over there and will always be welcome back to the Gills family when she returns.”
To find out more about our female specific activities at the Gills please contact Georgia Bowie, gbowie@priestfield.com or 01634 350125.