Football coach 'breaking barriers' in the sport

A female coach who has been named an FA ambassador for women and girls football, has said she hopes to "break those barriers" still in place in the sport.

Evie Pardy, who works with AFC Bournemouth as well as Queen's Park Ladies, will take on the role with the Hampshire FA.

Last year she won an FA Coach of the Year award for her work empowering young girls and women in football.

She now hopes to increase female involvement in the sport from the grassroots level and beyond.

Pardy began coaching seven years ago after first volunteering with her daughter's football team.

"I just fell in love with coaching and decided to take the jump and go into it as my career," she said.

She said she was eventually offered a role with AFC Bournemouth's under 12 academy girls and is now in her second season with them.

She added: "When I'm on the pitch coaching my mind goes blank and everything disappears and I'm just in this amazing bubble and it's just incredible for your mental health."

Pardy said she gets the same rush from coaching as she did when she used to play the sport and she said the mental health benefits of football is one of the main reasons she is advocating for more girls to get involved in the sport.

"Especially when they hit puberty and secondary school, whatever is going on in their lives, it's really, really amazing for their mental health," she said.

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