Jessie sets sights on Euro qualifiers

Ivybridge football prodigy makes England under 17s squad

Ivybridge Community College football prodigy Jessie Jones has set her sights on the qualifying tournament for the Under 17 European Championships after being selected for the National Squad.

Jessie, who had already captained and scored for England Schools’ Under 15 team, has taken the step up despite still being just fifteen years old.  She played for the Under 17 team against Germany on 10 November and later this month she hopes to join the rest of the squad at a training camp at St George’s Park, the home of the National Football Centre (http://www.thefa.com/st-georges-park/discover/about-us).

“This is tremendously exciting for Jessie and the next stage in her development,” said Mark Gammon, Director of Devon Girls’ Football, which is based at Ivybridge Community College.  “It is a fitting reward for the incredible amount of time that she spends training every week.  Jessie is extremely committed, has the will to win and an insatiable desire to improve her skills.  What’s more she is a very intelligent player who reads the game well and has certainly impressed the National Coach, John Griffiths.  John was delighted with Jessie’s performance in her first game and said that she has great potential for the future.”

As part of her intense training regime, Jessie trains up to twenty hours per week, including sessions with the Devon,  Plymouth Argyle and Ivybridge Community College girls’ teams, as well as additional fitness sessions to work on her flexibility, power and core strength.  Mark, who has been a coach at Plymouth Argyle for more than ten years and has a UEFA ‘A’ coaching licence, believes she has the talent and determination to play professionally.

“Jessie’s standard of play has risen so much that we train her with the boys in our Ivybridge Football Academy,” added Mark, “and I truly believe that she can go all the way, representing England at Under 19, 21, 23 and ultimately at Senior Level.  Jessie’s success is a testament to all of the coaches who have worked with her and developed her as a player over the past five years.”

Jessie’s selection for the Under 17 squad follows an extremely successful year for the Ivybridge student, who played several times for the England Under 15 and Under 16 teams earlier in the year.  In her first English Schools’ game against the Republic of Ireland, she took the captain’s armband and led the team to an 8-0 victory.  In addition to her footballing success, all-rounder Jessie also has an England Under 15 cap in cricket.

Jessie said: “I love both cricket and football, but football is my number one priority.  Not many girls get to make it big in football, but my ambition is to play for Arsenal Ladies and the full England team.”

Jessie is currently ranked the number one women’s Under 17 player in the South West and has also been chosen by the FA to take part in a Youth Sport Trust Workshop in December with 350 other athletes from various sports.

She now hopes to perform well in training camps and be chosen for the second stage of the Euro Qualifiers against the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Hungary.  The matches will be held in the Republic of Ireland from 9 -14 April and the finals will take place in Iceland in June.

Jessie also plays for the Ivybridge Community College Under 19 team (rather than the Under 15 team), which won the local girls’ league last year.

Jessie added: “Playing against older, stronger girls with more experience means I really have to lift my game and it forces me to play better.  That and playing against the best players in the country in my age group is definitely improving my game.

“It is a great opportunity for me.  I love playing and I love meeting up with the other girls on the team, as the atmosphere is excellent and everyone gets behind each other.  I can’t wait to get out there and play for my country again.

“The college has been so helpful to me and being on the Talented and Gifted programme has meant that I’ve been given help and assistance so that I can continue playing and focus on my studies.”