BUDDING young female footballers will get the chance to show off their skills at two trials later this month.

Colchester United Football in the Community (FITC) are are on the lookout for talented girls for their Female Football Programme.

The programme, based at Thurstable School and Sixth Form in Tiptree, is aimed at girls between the ages of 16 and 19 years old and begins in September.

The trials take place on Sunday May 22 (10am-12pm) and Thursday May 26 (6.30pm-8.30pm).

For more information about attending the trials, contact ben.elmer@colchesterunited.net

Meanwhile, Sammie Szmodics was the star attraction as FITC hosted a female football development tournament.

Seven schools from across the county took part, with each side playing six games and taking part in Essex FA taster sessions.

Essex University provided eight volunteers who refereed matches and assisted the team managers during games.

Szmodics took part in a question and answer session where he spoke about his rise to the professional game, while Millwall Lionesses' Jordan Butler was also on hand to give a speech to the girls.

Female Football Development Officer Ben Elmer said: "This day was excellent, with so many organisations coming together to deliver a high quality event."

A total of 72 girls attended the day and continue to take part in weekly FFD sessions that the FITC team deliver.