The Leeds United Foundation delivered a special SSE Wildcats Festival recently with over 170 young aspiring female footballers taking part on the day.

The event was held at West Riding FA for four hours and included plenty of football fun, including tournaments and competitions with a guest appearance from Leeds United Women players Bridie Hannon, Olivia Smart and Catherine Hamill.

The three first-team players were on hand to offer tips and advice, take part in the coaching element of the event and do a Q & A session with the youngsters in attendance.

The event was incredibly successful and Abigail Lee, Senior Women and Girls Officer for the Leeds United Foundation, spoke to LUTV and said: "The idea of this event was just to bring everyone together and celebrate girls football and young girls being more engaged in football. 

"There's so many different schools and centres down here today that have been taking part in the programme for 32 weeks so this event was a nice incentive for them being a part of the SSE Wildcats with the Foundation.

"All these opportunities that we can give girls now is brilliant and it's nice for them to come along and realise there's so many other girls also taking part in football sessions. It just shows how much girls football is growing and it's brilliant to see and be a part of that, today has been fantastic."

Coaches from the programme are currently delivering 60 SSE Wildcats Centres across West Yorkshire, providing opportunities for young girls to access football training programmes.

There are approximately 1,200 females taking part in different sessions throughout Leeds and further afield from Monday through to Sunday, seven days a week.

SSE Wildcats aims to target girls between the ages of 5 to 11, encouraging them to engage more with football in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The sessions allow the females to meet new friends, stay active and also develop fundamental skills which may help them transition into a grassroots football team.

All of the sessions are delivered by qualified coaches on a daily basis, usually taking place during after school hours or in the evening, and they provide a safe environment with great facilities where the girls can lay the foundations for a lifelong love of football. The sessions are ideal for those who already play football or for beginners and young girls who would like to try football for the first time.

If you would like more information on the initiative and to find where the nearest SSE Wildcats Centre is to you then please contact Abigail.Lee@leedsunited.com.

CLICK HERE to watch the video.