LEIGH Sports Village has been chosen among the venues that will host the UEFA European Women's Championship 2021.

The stadium is one of nine arenas that will welcomes the best continent's women's football teams.

It replaces Nottingham Forest's City Ground, which is not eligible due to planned stadium refurbishments.

The stadium is the current home of Manchester United Women and a host for Rugby League World Cup games in 2021

It marked the announcement of their inclusion today, Tuesday, by welcoming children from Leigh Genesis Football Club to take part in a skills session alongside Manchester United and England players Abbie McManus and Mary Earps.

UEFA Women’s EURO 2021 promises to be a record-breaking tournament for UEFA, with approximately 700,000 tickets due to be available for fans across the country.

Every game of the tournament will be available on free-to-air television, radio and online too.

Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, said: “The performance of the Lionesses this summer engaged the nation and helped to generate significant momentum in the women’s game.

"Looking ahead, hosting a home EURO in 2021 offers a huge opportunity for us to continue to push the profile of women’s football and to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the game.

"The confirmation of these nine venues is an important milestone for us as a host nation on our journey towards the final tournament in July 2021.

"I am confident that the selected cities and stadia will allow hundreds of thousands of fans across the country to attend matches and will also help to deliver an atmosphere befitting of a home European Championship to the nation.”

As tournament hosts, England qualify automatically and will be joined by another 15 teams for the final tournament in July 2021.

The official match schedule will be announced later this year.

The showpiece final will be staged at Wembley Stadium, meaning the national stadium will host back-to-back men’s and women’s UEFA EURO Finals in 2020 and 2021.

Wigan Council leader, Cllr David Molyneux, said: “This is a really exciting time for the sport, with the euphoria of the World Cup and the incredible performance of our Lionesses fresh in people's minds.

"We feel incredibly proud and privileged to be providing a venue for such a prestigious event for women's football and for England.

"Being a host doesn't start and end at the stadium, for us it's about building a lasting legacy for our residents.

"And Wigan borough has a proven track record of success when it comes to hosting top class sporting events such as this.”

Manchester United Women and England player Abbie McManus said: “The support we received from fans this summer was incredible, and to know that we have a Euros on home soil in two years’ time is a huge motivation to work hard and remain focused, both on and off the pitch.

"I’m sure that Leigh Sports Village and the other eight venues across the country will provide amazing settings for Euro games, and we look forward to being able to experience the roar of a home crowd in the summer of 2021.”

Registrations of interest for tickets and volunteering opportunities are now open. For more information visit www.thefa.com/euro2021.

The road to UEFA Women’s Euro 2021 will see England play Germany at Wembley Stadium in November, with more than 50,000 tickets already sold.

For more details got to www.thefa.com/tickets.

Here are all the stadiums that will host matches at the tournament:

Bramall Lane, Sheffield

Brentford Community Stadium

Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Leigh Sports Village

Manchester City Academy Stadium

New York Stadium, Rotherham

Stadium MK, Milton Keynes

St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton

Wembley Stadium