Looking back, Smith says the problem was there was no provision for girls’ football.
“There was no league, the Football Association didn’t really provide anything,” he says. “The boys weren’t letting them play.”
Smith did – and he can now reflect on seeing young players he coached go on to achieve international success.
“I was proud for an England team to win a big tournament,” he says. “I think Boldon has played a part in their success.”
When Scott returns, she is pleased to see how the club has progressed.
“I think one of the main differences is that I can see more than one coach for the whole session,” says Scott. “I think it used to just be Paul on his own, bless him.”
Provision for grassroots girls’ football has been a focus for the Football Association in recent years.
In 2020, the organisation launched a women’s and girls’ strategy, called Inspiring Positive Change, which aimed to increase participation.
And in November 2022, external it reported that since October 2021, there had been a 17% increase in female affiliated players across all levels of the game, a 30% increase in female registered football teams, and a 15% increase in female youth teams.
Despite that, there is still plenty of room for growth, with the FA calculating that only 63% of schools in England offered equal access to football for boys and girls through PE. Their target is to increase that number to 75% of schools by 2024.