A real kick in the teeth: English FA insists five Hibs Girls are too young for finals

FIRST a young footballer was banned for being a girl, now a group of girls have been told they can't take part because they are too young.

Half of the players in the Hibs Girls Under-13s squad have been told they cannot compete in the finals of the Tesco Cup national football tournament despite playing in the matches which got the team there.

It is the same competition which hit the headlines when 13-year-old Alyshia Walker learned she would not be able to play for the Fauldhouse Foxes Under-13s - a boys' team - because she is a girl.

The Hibs girls qualified for the finals of the cup, which take place in Birmingham this weekend, after playing teams from across Scotland in the Scottish Cup.

But because the competition is being held in England, it is governed by English Football Association regulations, which insist that all players must have been 12 years old last August to compete in the Under-13s group. Five members of the Hibs squad were only 11 last August and, despite being able to play in the Scottish Cup, are therefore not allowed to play in the finals.

The Hibs Girls Under-13s team has had to draft in five other players to go down to the tournament in place of those deemed too young.

Annette Russell, mother of one of the players, is calling for the rules to be aligned across the four nations to ensure the same situation is not repeated.

Her daughter Caitlin, an 11-year-old pupil at Colinton Primary, was named player of the match during the Scottish Cup Final.

Although they actually lost the game to a team from Hamilton, the Hibs Girls, as runners-up, were invited to play in the Tesco Cup finals when Hamilton pulled out.

Ms Russell, 40, said: "We only found out about two weeks ago that Hamilton had withdrawn and Hibs were invited along instead, but we were also then told that half of the team were not eligible. Caitlin is very disappointed, but also very angry."They had no idea that they would not be entitled to play under English FA rules.

"We need to have the same rules from the beginning of the Scottish Cup right through to the finals of the UK cup so that all the players can see it through from start to finish.

"I contacted Tesco who offered to take the girls down and allow them to warm up and get the kit, but that just makes it worse.

"It would make them resentful of the girls who are playing in their place and that's not fair because it's not their fault.

"My daughter got 'man of the match' in the Scottish Cup Final so they're basically saying she was the best player but that she can't go any further."

Kelly Benson, whose daughter Jamie-Lee Smith, a pupil at Granton Primary, has also been told she can't play, said: "Trying to explain to her that she was old enough to play in the Scottish Cup Final but she is not old enough to play in this one has been quite difficult and she's been very upset about it.

"The girls might never get here again, it's a once in a lifetime thing."

A Tesco spokesman said: "This needs to be a decision for the English FA." The English FA declined to comment.