A FEMALE footballer not only gets her kicks out of the beautiful game, she also helps other teenage enthusiasts to learn the skills of the sport.

Sarah Price has been an avid football fan and player since her junior school days.

Now aged 18, and a Stadium of Light regular, Sarah is not only a supporter, but she also plays, coaches, referees and helps in the administration of her club, Lumley Ladies FC, who play at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street.

Her dedication and enthusiasm for the game helped to win the sixth form A-level student a Sport England Award.

Sarah was one of only three winners of the Christine Smith Award, in her case in the young people's category for services to football, at a Sport England presentation last week.

Leading athlete Alison Curbishley presented the award and chatted to Sarah about football at the ceremony at Newcastle Falcons' Kingston Park ground.

Sarah, better known to her Lumley team-mates as Pricey, earned the award for coaching, refereeing, fundraising, committee work and generally giving her time back to encourage others in the sport she loves.

She said: "I started playing when I was eight and I joined the Chester-le-Street team, playing for them all the way through, at under-13, and under-16 level.

"The Lumley team was just formed earlier this year and I've been involved from the start. I took a refereeing course two years ago and I can do matches to level seven, although I've mostly done younger girls' games so far.

"I've also done a coaching course level two and I have a final assessment next November."

Sarah, who is in the first year of her A-level sports studies, maths, biology and French courses at Chester-le-Street's Park View School, eventually hopes to go to university.

But she is planning to take a year out to possibly coach at a camp in the USA.

In the intervening period the former Durham County under-16 player hopes to keep knocking in the goals for Lumley under-18s in the Tyne-Tees League, while also maintaining her other duties on and off the pitch.