Nick Buxton says young centre-back Freya Mai Rattenbury’s inclusion in the first-team squad for Sunday’s 7-1 friendly win over a Leeds United development side highlights the pathway for young girls in Doncaster to reach the Belles first-team.
Rattenbury was among several members of the RTC's U16s squad who featured in an inter-squad friendly the previous Sunday, and was then asked to feature in Sunday's game.
He said: "Freya was excellent for someone who has come in from the U16s, she was very calm and composed on the ball and she’s a good player who people need to look out for.
"We had a training game last Sunday and had six U16s come in and play for us, and not one of them looked out of place.
"So it’s good we’ve got that foundation from the RTC, it gives us a pathway which is really good. If people can see a pathway from development all the way into the first-team then that's where we want to be as a club."
The Belles RTC Wildcats sessions for girls aged from five to 11 take place at the Club Doncaster Sports Village every Monday from 5-6pm. Booking is online through the FA events page at: https://bit.ly/3cwVrsk