DFC is delighted to officially announce the launch of its new Girls’ Academy.

Around 25 girls have made the cut for September following a rigorous application and trial period.

The Club is working alongside its education partners SCL to offer students the full-time course and football coaching at Princes Park.

George Kingdon – who has been involved in the education side of the Boy’s Academy for the past year, while managing DFC grassroot teams – will be spearheading the project.

He said: “I’m feeling really positive! I have had the girls in for some pre-season training already to begin building a rapport with them. There’s a massive sense of potential with this group and it’s exciting to be part of the Club making this step.”

The DFC Girls’ Academy will see around 25 girls begin their route into higher education at the Club, studying for a diploma in sporting and physical activity. The second year will see them continue with an extended diploma in the same subject.

Alongside the two to three hours per day of daily education, they will train at the ground for a similar length of time.

On Wednesdays, the girls will compete in the National Football Youth League Championship division, competing against the likes of an Ipswich Town Foundation team, Portsmouth, Billericay and Oxford City.

George, a former primary school teacher, has coached at Ebbsfleet and Aylesford, and taken many of the new recruits from Dartford Girls U-13 level through to U16.

He continued: “I’ve spent a lot of time handpicking the girls myself. For the first year, we wanted to get it right.

“We had two of the boys leave the academy this year to go on to degrees and one of the girls would like to study law later down the line, so the education side is really important to get right.

“At the same time, we want to lay the foundation for the girls on the football side. We want to hit the ground running and compete in the league, but also forge a pathway to provide opportunities into the women’s first team should the management team like the look of anyone. We want a strong first year to show we are here to stay and build the girls’ academy.”

Alongside the Girls’ Academy, the Club is starting a girls’ U21 Development team aimed at 16 to 20-year-olds that George will also manage and will compete in Kent Central One on a Sunday afternoon.

It is hoped this will help bridge the age gap between the Academy and Women’s side, with the strongest Academy players having the chance to play for both Academy and Development teams and get experience playing against older players – mimicking the philosophy of the boys’ academy, which often finds loans for players to offer first team experience competing against men.

Director of Football Tony Burman added: “It’s something the Club has wanted to do for a number of years, but this season things were in place to make it happen.

“We had a number of conversations and George has done a lot of work with the boys and we felt more confident in getting it off the ground.

“The Club put together an excellent presentation to prospective parents and students which persuaded some to choose us over other more established league clubs, which was a great achievement.

“We are looking to bringing in a female coach to work alongside George and this is just the start. It will hopefully keep growing from here and it will become a pathway to the Women’s first team that has worked so well for the boys and men.

“They have to be up on their education, but that’s the aim, to have a production line that benefits everyone.”

Some of the girls have been in with George for pre-season work, while the Academy gets underway properly in September.

Good luck to George and girls from everyone at DFC!