Unfortunately, it goes without saying that it’s more difficult to be a female footballer than it is to be a male footballer.

This fact does not please 18-year-old Charlie Rowlands or 17-year-old Abby Dance, who are both at Beaufort Co-operative Academy Sixth Form, one bit.

Luckily, the girls, who are currently playing for Cheltenham Town Ladies FC, both have a hugely positive attitude.

“I definitely feel a sense of pride that I’m a young woman playing in a male dominated sport,” said Charlie.

“It’s difficult for women to get publicity in football as we have far less media coverage than men and it’s a smaller platform, so it’s more difficult to get sponsorships.

“This is changing though. Schools are encouraging girls to play more football and they’re doing well.

“There are also more local clubs that are making it a competitive rather than social pastime, which is a good sign.”

Abby feels similarly.

“The odds are against us as women,” she said.

“My love for the sport gets me through this though. I also feel that it motivates me more because I want to do well despite the odds being against us.

“It is improving – hopefully we can close the gap between genders soon.”

These are empowering words indeed.

Luckily, the struggles their gender must go through just to be recognised don’t take away from their love of the sport.

“I’m so proud to be playing for Cheltenham Town Ladies – it’s a massive achievement,” said Charlie.

“It is a big challenge, but I’d rather have a challenge than know that I’ll win everything all the time.”

“I’m really enjoying playing for Cheltenham Town Ladies,” said Abby.

“It’s a great experience and a great platform. I love being able to play for Cheltenham Stadium on Whaddon Road. It’s been really good for my development.”

It’s also not a shock that Charlie and Abby have been playing football for rather a long time.

“I’ve been playing since I was four,” said Charlie.

“I started playing for a local boys’ team; they were called Windsor Drive at the time but are now Tuffley Rovers. My mum’s friend actually runs it.

“My uncle used to play professionally – he played for Watford FC when they were in the Premier League, so that helped me get into the sport.

“All of my mum’s friends had boys, so I was the only girl there. They all used to love going out and playing football, so I was sort of stuck doing it, but I ended up loving it.

Abby also has a history of playing with the boys.

“I’ve probably played since I was about five or six,” she said.

“I started with the boy’s team Quedgeley Wanderers. I’ve got a twin brother called Jack, who was really into football, so I went along with him.

“I also played rugby for Churchdown Boys team.”

All of this, of course, is impressive at such a young age.

“I’m so proud to be a younger player in the ladies’ team,” said Abby.

“I’ve also played for Bristol City WFC for a while. I went to the Bristol FA cup, which was a really good experience.

“It was against the top international players – it was great to see all the high level playing.”

Charlie has also had her fair share of achievements and exciting experiences.

“I went to the Youth World Cup in 2016, which was held in Sweden,” she said.

“Representing my country was amazing. I was in year 11 when I went – I flew out the day after my last GCSE exam and stayed there for three weeks.”

These inspirational young women have some impressive plans for the future.

These involve staying dedicated to their sport, of course.

“I just want to play for as long as I can,” said Charlie.

“I’ve applied to Hartpury to study Sports and Exercise Sciences when I leave school and I currently work for Forest Green Rovers’ men’s first team.

“I provide the team with nutritional supplements like protein shakes and energy bars. I’d love to do this full time – it’s all about helping them to be the best they can.”

Abby also wants to keep playing.

“I just want to keep improving and make my playing level higher and higher,” she said.

“I would like to go down the sport route when it comes to university and maybe try out coaching.

“I want to prove that girls can achieve great things for the sport.”

Wise words indeed.

So, what is the best thing about football for these talented players?

“I love the team aspect of it,” said Charlie.

“We all have the same goals and we all want to improve.

“We’re like a family – they are the people who know me best as I see them five times a week. I’ve made such good friendships.”

Abby also believes that football is great for making friends.

“You do make life-long friends. You all want to do well for each other, and it’s great when you get the satisfaction of winning a game,” she said.

“It’s all about improving yourself and having a love for the sport.

“You gain great experience, meet amazing people and develop loads of skills, which can be transferred into day to day life and the work place. Teamwork and communication skills are really useful.”

They’d also love to encourage others to get involved.

“If you’re thinking of joining a football club, you need to just do it,” said Charlie.

“Football is especially good for young girls for giving them confidence. It doesn’t necessarily have to be professional – you can just do it for fun.

“My advice would be to just get out there and do it.”