VALE Ladies and Girls FC are among several regional winners of one of Wales’ biggest grassroots football accolades, after beating hundreds of regional clubs to land the 2015 Welsh Community Football Award for Grassroots Impact in South Wales.

Now in its eighth year, the annual Welsh Community Football Awards, presented by the Football Association of Wales, Welsh Football Trust and McDonald’s, aim to recognise and reward the people and clubs that are driving grassroots football in Wales.

Winning the regional award and gaining a national nomination marks a fantastic rise in the success of Vale Ladies and Girls FC who have been operating for just three years.

Starting with just five teams and 80 players in September 2012 the “Sky Blues” now provide football to more than 180 female players from the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff areas.

Players represent the club from age six through to under-16 level, with two senior ladies teams, one being the newly formed Barry Town Utd Ladies based at Jenner Park Stadium.

The club’s teams are supported by more than 20 fully-qualified coaches, a full set of committee members and play matches across the local area in the South Wales Women’s and Girls League.

The club also has a high number of players involved in Welsh Regional Squads, League Representative Squads and the Cardiff and Vale Schools County teams.

Club chairman Luke Williams, an active member and founder of Vale Ladies and Girls FC since their formation, said: “This is fantastic recognition for the club and a reward for all the volunteers that have put in so much hard work over the past three years. The club has put female football on the map in the Vale and Cardiff area and the school club links we have created have been a huge driver in providing more opportunities for girls to play football.

“For a relatively young club we have achieved a great deal but have a long way to go to reach our aspirations in developing a female ladies team to compete at the highest level in Welsh Football. The club has developed a thriving junior section with just under 200 players and with quality coaching opportunities we hope to produce players that can go on and have potential careers in the game.

“I believe our club already offers the best female player development opportunities with a group of talented coaches and we have recently launched our own club development centre which gives our most talented members additional quality coaching experiences.”

The club recently hosted its first summer tournament on July 5 at Barry Rugby Club which turned out to be a huge success with 67 teams and more than 500 female players participating. Teams from Telford, Bristol and Swindon travelled to the event which included local Welsh teams and a special guest appearance from current Wales captain Sophie Ingle.

A national panel will now judge Vale Ladies and Girls FC alongside winners from the other five Welsh football regions before a winner is selected in September.

For more information on Vale Ladies and Girls FC, visit valegirlsfc.co.uk