An all-girl team has become football’s latest “invincibles” by going unbeaten all season – while playing in a boys’ league.
Queens Park Ladies under-12s finished top of division three of the Bournemouth Youth Football League, with 18 wins, four draws and no defeats.
They dominated the 11 boys’ teams in the league, scoring 61 goals and conceding only 11.
By the time they had played all their matches, they had amassed 58 points, 16 more than the second-placed team, which had two games still to play.
To make their triumph all the sweeter, they had to overcome initial resistance from county FA bosses, who initially told them they would have to play in a girls’ competition.
Manager Toby Green was convinced his team was good enough to play against boys every week and the players, who train twice a week, have proved him right on the pitch.
Next season, the girls will be promoted to the under-13s second division.
They topped the league away against Moordown & Southbourne several weeks ago but clinched the “invincibles” title last weekend with a 3-0 win against Lymington Town.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Green said: “The girls have done really, really well. They’ve worked so hard all season, not just in the games, but in their training as well.
“They have been really disciplined… they deserve it.”
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Mr Green said securing the league title with a 3-0 away win against a team that had won six games in a row was one of the highlights of the season.
“We’ve really had to dig in, particularly away from home,” he said.
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Four of the girls in the 14-strong squad have been playing together since they were five years old.
Mr Green started the team when his daughter Olivia told him she wanted to play football. He had already coached his older daughter as the only girl in a boys’ team and decided this time he would put together a girls’ team, but wanted them to play in the boys’ league.
The team hopes to inspire more young girls to get involved in football.
