THE mother of a 12-year-old girl football star has made an impassioned plea for more interest from Forest clubs in starting girls' sides.

Helen Akers' daughter, Laura, has just been voted Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year for the Gloucester City Girls' F.C. team, The Tigers.

But she says the fact that Laura has to go all the way from Coleford to Gloucester to find a girls' side highlights a big gap in Forest opportunities for keen girl soccer players.

"It was fine at Ellwood school where they are encouraging girls to play soccer in mixed teams up to 11 years – and Laura could join one of the ladies' sides when she reaches 14 but in between there is nothing in the Forest," said Mrs Akers.

"The fact that another Forest youngster, Laura Stephens of Cinderford, was named runner-up Player of the Year shows there is a wealth of talent in the area."

Mrs Akers said she spent a lot of time at the weekends taking Laura to and from training in Gloucester and to away matches.

It was a family commitment but so far Laura's little brother Harry, eight, had not developed an interest in being a soccer player because they were finding little time to encourage him.

"She is very keen. She has been playing since she was four," she said. "I would definitely like to see more opportunities for girl players in the Forest."

Tigers coach Ian Powell said he fully agreed there was a need for organising girls' soccer in the Dean.

"It is a lot to ask parents. They come in to Gloucester every Saturday for training, and most of our away games are as far as Swindon and down in Somerset," he said.

"I was surprised however to find a Forest girls' side at a tournament at Millfield School some months ago. It turned out they were all from a youth club and not really representative of the real skills.

"They were keen to do their best but to say they were humiliated is putting it mildly – they were getting beaten 8-nil, 10-nil, that sort of thing."

"And as for girls of Laura's age joining women's teams, well, we wouldn't do it with boys, playing them with men's sides."

Ian said The Tigers welcomed girls of all ages and ability who wanted to play football.

Training is at Blackbridge Sports Field, Gloucester, on Saturday mornings from 9.30am-11am, and the new season starts on September 9.

He added: "Our aim is to teach them sportsmanship and teamwork and hopefully one day they might get to play for England.

"Both Laura Akers and Laura Stephens are excellent footballers and I'm sure they could go all the way to the top in women's football."