York College has become just one of 30 venues that will host an FA Girls’ Centre of Excellence from next season.

The highly-respected North Yorkshire centre will continue to run from its £60 million Sim Balk Lane site after a national streamlining of the elite football pathway.

Seven of the eight Women’s Super League sides will also operate centres and the accolade provides recognition of the strides that have been made in York during a small space of time.

The North Yorkshire Centre of Excellence was only formed in 2007 but, in four years, the number of teams competing in the City of York Girls’ League has grown by 68 per cent while last season also saw more than 800 players registered for the first time.

Coaching sessions have been delivered at grassroots clubs by the centre, which now engages six FA-licensed female coaches, two female observing coaches, three female referees, one full-time FA skills coach and a CFA women’s and girls officer.

Former York City striker Gordon Staniforth, the North Yorkshire Girls’ Centre of Excellence technical consultant and head of sports development at York College, welcomed the FA’s decision.

Staniforth, whose daughter Lucy is also an England under-19 international, said: “I can truly say that everyone involved in this centre lives up to the ethos of being committed to excellence.

“The facilities here are second to none. The players also benefit from an excellent learning environment, created by coaches who understand what is required to perform at the highest level and who harness the ability and commitment of the players to reach their full potential.

“This is an exciting time for female football with player participation growing at a fantastic rate. I am personally committed to making sure that in our region we do everything we can to fully develop not only talented female players but also the game as a whole.”

Tom Radigan, the North Riding County FA chief executive, added: “The North Yorkshire Girls’ Centre of Excellence is an essential part of our continuing plans to develop female football within our country.

“The centre makes a vital contribution in identifying the most talented young female players from around our region, offering these young players the opportunity to maximise their potential.

“The centre has an excellent range of high-quality facilities available at York College coupled with a highly-qualified and committed development team, who create a positive learning environment for all of the players. It is a well-organised and progressive programme, committed to achieving excellence.”