GIRLS are set to become Bhoys after Celtic announced yesterday they are launching a women's football team.
The Parkhead club are now looking for female footballers to join the club's new woman's side. Celtic Ladies will play their home games at the club's new £12million training ground in Lennoxtown, and they will wear Celtic's famous green-and-white hoops just like their male counterparts.
Actress and writer Elaine C Smith, a lifelong Celtic supporter, has been drafted in as patron of the new all-girl side which will be headed by Robert Docherty from the Celtic foundation.
Last night the club's Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell, said the club wanted to attract more women to play football.
He added: "We are delighted to launch the Celtic Women's Academy and enter a Celtic women's team in the Scottish Women's Premier League.
"This is a natural expansion to our present Community Coaching and Youth Academy programmes."
Celtic's new female academy will be structured in the same way as the senior set-up. Celtic Girls will be aimed at 5-12 year olds, and Celtic Girls Youth Academy will be aimed at 13-19 year olds.
The women's senior squad will represent Celtic in the Scottish Women's Premier League.
Elaine C Smith said: "I am absolutely delighted to be asked to be Patron of the Celtic Women's Football Academy. It is a much needed boost to the women's game.
"With the number of women watching football matches at Celtic Park increasing, it's fantastic that they too now have the opportunity to participate and play for their team."
The actress added: "It's a bit of a dream come true for me - I didn't think it would ever happen.
"Over the last few years, as a big football fan, I became involved with the SFA and lobbied Parliament to ask for more support for the women's game.
"After that I realised that Hearts and Hibs had women's teams, but Celtic didn't. So, I e-mailed the chairman, Brian Quinn, and he got back to me saying that it was something the club were looking into.
"That was about 18 months ago, so to get to this point so quickly is wonderful.
"There are so many Celtic fans with daughters who love football. They come and watch the games and it's great that they can now watch a women's team play in the Hoops and maybe one day do so themselves."
Docherty added: "The club should be applauded for introducing the Girls/Women's Academy.
"The Academy will provide an exciting and challenging coaching and games programme that I'm sure will attract, retain and motivate those females involved."
Women's football has slowly taken off in the UK in recent years. Several English football teams already have well-established women's sides, and Scotland's most successful player, the international striker Julie Fleeting, recently helped
Arsenal to win the UEFA Cup, completing the quadruple after winning every league game.
Latest figures released by football's governing body FIFA indicate that 26 million women worldwide play football regularly, and the number of registered players has risen by 54 per cent to 4.1 million in the last six years.
Celtic Ladies will be recruiting at all levels. The telephone number for the Celtic Girls/Women's Academy is 0871 226 1888 (option 5), or e-mail
hwilson@celticfc.co.uk
http://sport.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=894472007 
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