Dozens of young girls were "in awe" when England star Nikita Parris paid a surprise visit to their football training session this morning.
The Toxteth -born striker returned to her old stomping ground, Tiber Football Centre on Tagus Street, to have a kick about with some of the potential stars of tomorrow. Around 70 girls from across Merseyside turned up for what they thought was a Weetabix Wildcats session; a local football initiative that aims to get girls aged five to 11 involved in football.
But much to their delight, Nikita came along to take part, as well as offering plenty of words of wisdom for the budding young footballers. The 28-year-old told the ECHO : “Tiber Field is actually where I began playing football with Kingsley United.
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"We didn’t have the pretty 3G pitch that’s outside now; we had a grass pitch and we called it a cow patch, but we still managed to get where we are today. It’s great to see so many young girls coming out to play football.
"It was a historic summer and now we’re looking for the next generation who are going to carry on the baton.” Nikita's visit comes at a time when interest in women's football is at an all-time high, with record crowds turning out to watch teams in the Barclay's Women's Championship and FA Women's National League kick off their 2022/23 campaigns over the weekend.
It's been less than a month since more than 87,000 people packed out Wembley Stadium to take in England's last-gasp victory over Germany in the UEFA Women's Euro final. It was an momentous occasion, as the Lionesses banished 56 years of hurt by clinching England's first major title since 1966, and there's hope the heroics of Sarina Wiegman's team will help spark a revolution in the women's game.
Nikita, who was part of Wiegman's squad, said: “It was an amazing achievement and one that won’t settle in for a long time. It was historical and unbelievable and I’m still lost for words.
"Sitting here thinking back, to do what we did and how we won, conceding not many goals and scoring many goals - not just one player but the whole squad - it was unreal.”
Several of the girls in attendance today caught the footballing bug after this summer's tournament, with the Lionesses' success prompting a number of them to pick up a ball for the first time. Their admiration for Nikita was evident, with the local hero being crowded with girls wanting selfies and autographs.
Speaking about the celebrity status now afforded to female footballers, Nikita said: “Growing up, I was definitely mainly looking up to the men. Thierry Henry was my favourite player who I watched in the Premier League.
"As I got older, I started watching the women’s league. Arsenal dominated so naturally my other favourite player, Julie Fleeting, came from Arsenal. We got to watch the FA Cup every year on TV and she would always light up the pitch. But it's nice these girls have so many more (idols) to look up to and a whole WSL league to watch."
Fern Peddon, a coach for Runcorn Saxons who was at today's event, has already seen demand from young girls looking to get involved with football skyrocket. She told the ECHO more people are interested in the women's game than "ever before" and is delighted the stars of the women's game are finally getting some more recognition.
Fern said: “It's inspirational. Seeing all the girls playing and interacting with Nikita is so encouraging for their future football and really gears them on to have that passion. I’m really proud.
"It's absolutely fantastic having her here and it was a great surprise for them. All of their little faces were in awe when she first came out and she was so friendly with them, signing autographs and everything. It was just brilliant.”
While the last few weeks have been something of a watershed moment for women's football, Nikita, who has made the switch to Manchester United ahead of the upcoming WSL season, is keen to emphasise the need for fans' continued support in order for the game to thrive.
She said: “It’s massively important to get people through the turnstiles because ultimately that’s what’s going to pick the game up and push it forward. It’s so important that we see there’s a whole system where women are competing to get the very top.
"It's so nice that supporters go out as well, whether its Sunday league, Saturday league, WSL, whatever it may be. What we did this summer was historical, but we still need their backing.”
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