LOCAL GIRL FLYING HIGH THANKS TO BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT
Twelve year old Hayley Crackle is flying high after receiving sponsorship from Birmingham International Airport to help fund her place at Aston Villa Ladies Football Club.
Hayley, from Solihull, plays for Aston Villa Ladies in the Under 14 Centre of Excellence (CoE) Team and is one of the youngest in the squad. She has high hopes of making it as a professional footballer as the CoE teams are just one step away from a call-up to the England team.
The youngster has been playing football since she could walk and has been with Aston Villa for the past three years, beating hundreds of girls through the trials each year to secure one of only 13 places in the CoE team.
Proud father Ian Crackle, who works at Birmingham International Airport, got Hayley interested in the sport when he played football with her as a toddler. She now trains twice a week at Villa Park’s Academy and Hamstead Hall School and plays in tournament matches every Saturday, often travelling all over the country to compete.
Hayley said: “I’ve been playing football for as long as I can remember and love playing for Aston Villa. My dream is to get spotted by the England football scouts and play for the country and Villa’s first team. I’m really pleased Birmingham Airport has given me sponsorship. It’s paid for my kit and contributed to the costs of running the Centre of Excellence.”
Andy Holding, Community Affairs Officer for Birmingham International Airport said “This is just one of many community initiatives the Airport supports. It’s fantastic to see a girl of Hayley’s age looking forward to a career in football. We’re delighted to support her ambitions and wish her luck and success for the future.”
Hayley, who plays right mid-fielder or striker position, scored 10 goals in her last season and also plays in her school team at St Peter’s Catholic School, where last week she captained the team and scored one of the two goals that resulted in a 2-0 win against Archbishop Grimshaw.
Women’s football is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK with over 1.5 million girls and women playing football in 2006 from grass roots through to the national Premier League and full internationals.
+ Permalink