GUILLEM BALAGUE:

One of the main functions of grassroots football should be to adequately represent the community that it is a part of by giving opportunities to those minorities contained within it.

The truth of it is that it does not always fulfil its brief. Women are not the minority when it comes to the population of this world but they certainly are very much the poor relation when it comes to football in all its aspects, be it on the pitch, the training grounds, the administrative offices or the media.

But things are changing - and fast - thanks to the exponential growth in the women's game and its new found popularity, a very logical consequence of England's triumph at the recent European Championships.

But we still have a long way to go.

While men's senior sides at our level don't pay subs, here at Biggleswade United we are proud to be one of the few grassroots clubs in the country to be able to offer our senior women's sides free football thanks to the negotiated sponsorship deal of our women's section with VEO streaming services.

As part of the same deal we also still have six level one coaching places for women in our community of any age, colour or background keen to take the first steps along the football coaching road.

Football like few other things gives you the platform and the opportunity to change dynamics in society and here at Biggleswade United we have always looked to keep an open door to welcome in those people that have not always been wholeheartedly welcomed at other places.

In another new initiative we have linked with the Bedfordshire FA to hold a Coaching Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course focused on supporting and encouraging individuals to take their first steps into coaching.

It entitled 'Stepping Over the Sidelines' and is an interactive CPD which will give participants an insight into the role of a coach while offering specialist support. It will take place at our clubhouse on October 5 between 7 and 9pm and all players aged 16 and above, parents and any other volunteers and cordially invited. Please contact the club at [email protected] for further details.

Last weekend at our FA Vase game against White Ensign, it was wonderful to touch base with so many friends - old and new - including our men's first team sponsor, Winchmore Brickwork as well as David Luxton, my literary agent whose company David Luxton Associates very kindly sponsored the match.

A comfortable 3-0 victory means that as well as earning another very welcome £725 we can now look forward to welcoming Redbridge to our Keech Hospice Care ground on Saturday, October 22 for the first round proper of this most prestigious competition.

A 6-2 victory for our women’s Red team at Fakenham Town means that after three games they are already top of the Division One North Eastern Region Women's Football League table thanks to a goal difference of 13 and also have a game in hand on second placed St Ives Town.