GIRLS’ football has become so popular at a North Oxford school it has been put on the PE curriculum for the first time.

Oxford High School has more than 70 girls regularly playing in lunchtime sessions and the sport is now part of physical education lessons alongside netball, hockey and athletics.

The independent school will be hosting an all-girls school football tournament next week – the first of its kind in Oxfordshire – to encourage more schools across the county to participate.

The school hired Eastleigh FC under-18s coach Liam Gilbert in September to oversee the remarkable growth in football.

There has been a surge in participation since the England women’s team reached the semi-final of the World Cup last summer.

Mr Gilbert said: “At the first session we had in September there were around 10 girls who took part and at our last one we had more than 70.

“Women’s football is growing across the country, in part due to England’s success in the World Cup last year, and we have to make it accessible to young girls, which is what we have done.

“It keeps growing and it is so popular now the school has put it on the curriculum.

“The girls will be playing football alongside the more traditional girls’ sports such as netball and hockey.

The first in a series of tournaments, supported by Oxfordshire FA, will see year four teams – aged eight and nine – from six county schools play against each other on Tuesday in an informal set of matches.

Then on March 11 it will be the turn of the secondary schools with five year eight and three year 10 teams battling it out.

Mr Gilbert said the idea was to encourage the sport to grow in even more schools.

The 26-year-old PE teacher said: “A lot of schools have started to bring it in and want to keep that going.

“For the year fours we won’t keep score, we just want them to play football. It’s about making it as accessible as possible for young girls.

Amy Durand, 12, said: “I used to hate playing football, but once I joined the football club it made it more fun.

“I now love football and always learn new things in sessions.”

Fellow pupil Emily Claire, from Bicester, said: “At first, I thought football was just a boys’ game but I remember someone asking me to a training session and I thought I’d give it a go and now I love it.

“You can really run off steam between lessons.”

The school’s year eight team is now ranked fourth in the south region and many of the girls play for local clubs, including Summertown Stars, Oxford United, Oxford City, Launton and Witney.