A NEW study has identified the best areas in England for young girls to play football, with St Helens making the top 10.

The research by FootballWhispers.com examined Football Association data on football clubs with teams for girls aged 5-19, alongside ONS population statistics.

It highlighted the towns and cities with the highest number of clubs offering opportunities for young female players.

The top-ranking locations were those with the greatest concentration of clubs per 1,000 girls in the specified age range, all within a 20-mile commute for parents.

Wigan ranks as the best place in the UK for girls to get into football with 709 clubs in the area, this results in 103.3 clubs per 1,000 girls in the specified age range, the largest proportion nationwide.

Below is the table showing the best places in England for girls to get into football.

(Image: Football numbers) St Helens takes the final top ten spot, with 602 clubs playing girls’ football within a 20-mile radius of the town. This means there are as many as 67.2 clubs per 1,000 girls in St Helens.

Julien Josset, CEO of FootballWhispers.com, said: “The popularity of women’s football has skyrocketed in recent years. Thankfully, the sport is becoming increasingly accessible to girls around the world and particularly in England.

“With this and what it could mean for England’s future female international representation, it’s interesting to see the areas where it’s easiest to get budding young female players on the pitch.”