16 Year Old XL Player Promoted to 1st Team

XL@Football are proud to announce the signing of Tarryn Marsh to our first team. At just 16 years and 20 days of age, Tarryn became the youngest player to pull on the orange shirt of the XL@Football first team.

From the clubs inception, XL@Football have been determined to create a player pathway that nurtured and developed talented female players from across Kent and the South East, enabling them to ultimately play first team football. Just eighteen months after the club was born, XL@Football are able to celebrate a young player from Kent fulfilling that ambition.

Tarryn’s journey to the first team has seen her develop rapidly. Initially she attended the clubs player development centre, which was established to give young players access to high quality coaching no matter which club that they played for. This community scheme has helped many players improve their game and has also enabled XL@Football to capture new talent from the local area.

After a few sessions with the PDC, Tarryn was given the opportunity to join one of XL@Football’s development teams, where she started playing in the Junior Premier League. This gave Tarryn the opportunity to play against some of the biggest clubs in the country. After a few months Tarryn was promoted to the clubs under 16 academy team where she continued her development. Tarryns dedicated approach to her football and personal development impressed her coaches and also the first team coaching staff. When Tarryn turned 16 (the age female players are allowed to play senior football) she was immediately promoted to the clubs first team where she has made a real impression amongst her peers. Tarryn has established herself as a regular starter for the Tigresses, playing a pivotal role in the heart of the midfield. Tarryn continues to play for the under 16 academy team alongside her first team commitments and is excited to be joined by a number of other upcoming XL@Football stars.

The club are proud to be able to offer young players the opportunity to develop their footballing talent and ambitions. With a stated aim to reach the Women’s Championship by 2028, we look forward to seeing the talented players of XL@Football gracing the TV and stadiums across the country very soon!

The club are grateful for the support they receive from Kent Reliance, who as the clubs principle sponsor, offer tremendous support to help XL@Football provide amazing opportunities to girls like Tarryn.