Newton Fire is a football club based in Newton Abbot dedicated to football for girls aged 9-16.

They are trained by a dedicated group of fantastic volunteer coaches that nurture their football ability as well as qualities that can be used off the pitch such as friendship, confidence, and sportsmanship. There is rapport between them as they talk openly about their managerial decisions, include the players in the conducting training, as well as inside jokes and mutual respect.

Emmie, the joint captain of the Under 14s, confidently ran their warmup as in the older team, captain Sophie Gething high-fived a new teammate when they won a warmup race.

Matilda Harris-Bryne said, ‘This is my first ever training session. I’ve always wanted to do it and then watching the Lionesses pushed me more. I want to properly commit.’

Sophie started football when she was eight with Newton Fire and now plays with multiple teams. ‘I play for Exeter too, and a boys’ team on a Wednesday. It’s really good, I do centre mid there and it's good practice because the boys’ game is more physical.’

The teams have an infectious passion for the sport and an appreciation for their teammates and coaches. Tilly said, ‘I love when you score a goal, and your team are happy with you,’ and her teammate Georgie added, “Football is good for the people you meet because you get to know them more.’

Coach, Shane, is in his third full season with the biggest team in the club and plans to take his age group right through, possibly ‘doing another lap and taking the next age group through again’. He speaks to his joint captains about positive leadership and explains his in-training choices to them with mutual respect. ‘We have a game on Sunday, and the most important thing is building someone’s confidence.’

Coach, Gary Wright, under 15s Manager and Co-Chair said, ‘Ever since the Euros with the Lionesses our enquiries have gone through the roof,’ and the girls noticed that they had a lot of new faces in the team last year. Sophie said, ‘Last year there were loads of new girls, we’re all really good friends.’ Gary notices the inclusiveness of the players and how quickly they form friendships in the team, adding ‘they’re a great group of girls, they don’t care about ability.’ The team are looking for more coaches to match their capacity with the growing interest.

We wish the club the best of luck for this season and continued success in their sport.