Two years ago I wrote a blog about my journey into women’s football which detailed the reasons behind my change of direction from the original premise of my project and the impact watching local women’s football had on me. You can read the blog “Changes” here.

The Lionesses had already set the wheels in motion over the previous ten years, attracting more and more girls to give playing football a go, but their Euros win in 2022 with the whole country getting behind them, sent this into overdrive. Girls of all ages were now actively joining teams in their thousands and I thought it might be fun to do another blog on how the seismic change of that Euros win has changed local women’s football in my local area.

My introduction into women’s football began with a trip to watch Ipswich Town in their first League One match of the 22/23 season and, as I was there for the weekend, a friend suggested going to see the Ipswich Women on the Sunday. It was a really enjoyable experience so once back home I started checking out which of my local clubs had women’s teams and planned to take in a few matches without ever believing for one moment it would lead to much more than watching ten or so games over the course of the season.

My second game was a friendly between Ascot United, a well-run and established women’s team regularly challenging at the top of Tier 5, and Fulham. Ascot were a club who already had a great reputation and set-up with teams in most, if not all, all age groups and had put a great deal of time and effort to build the women’s side of their club. That game stoked the fire a little more!

Next it was a trip to see Eversley & California play Woodley United in the SRWFL, little knowing at the time that Woodley would become the team I would see the most over the past two years, followed by a return to Ascot to see their friendly with local rivals Maidenhead United from Tier 4 of the pyramid. And, as easy as that, I was hooked. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming; the football was good and the players were not getting involved in all the histrionics that turned me away from men’s football at the top level many years ago. Tackle, get up and get on with it.

I started blogging and writing match reports on my website, gained a surprising following on Twitter and tried with others to help to raise the level of coverage of and promote the lower tier women’s leagues. I started by watching a core of the clubs most local to me, Ascot, Woodley, Maidenhead, Caversham United and S4K regularly but soon started branching out with visits to Abbey Rangers, Wycombe Wanderers (who play at Burnham), Dulwich Hamlet, Rushmoor Community, Brentford and even Margate on a long weekend away! By the end of the season I had seen thirty seven women’s games, loved every minute of it and made a whole host of new friends.

So how have things changed over the two years since my last blog?

Well there has been an explosion in the number of teams local to me. Within a ten mile or so radius we now have a new club in Ashridge Park (formerly Eversley & California Reserves), and new teams at Wokingham Town, Berks County, Finchampstead, Yateley United, Windsor & Eton, AFC Reading and Sandhurst Wolves (all TVCWFL) to go with more established sides Caversham United, Woodley, Ascot, Slough, Eversley & California and Tilehurst Panthers in the SRWFL and Maidenhead United in the FAWNL. With Reading FC now playing in Tier 5 after their ownership issues, it’s quite a busy local scene now and you’re never short of a game to go to!

With more and more established professional and semi-pro clubs around the country embracing the new found interest in the women’s game like never before, with many starting up new teams over the last 2-3 years and improving coaching throughout the age groups. Just in my area we’ve seen brand new women’s teams at Farnborough and Farnham in the last two years, and more recently, news that Aldershot Town will be following suit and kicking off an exciting new team starting in the 25/26 season.

This also brings its own problems with so many clubs in a small 10 mile radius, all battling to pick up the same players, and unfortunately some do struggle to find enough players to raise a squad. I’m also told there are a lot of women’s players working in public service, police, the NHS, fire service etc, which can also be an obstacle to raising teams to fulfil fixtures if they are on call.

The upside is there are a lot of players who started at 13 or 14 with the Lionesses success two years ago who are now regularly getting first team football. A lot of the clubs I’ve visited this season so far are built on three or four experienced players with the rest of the squad being enthusiastic 16 and 17 year olds and from what I’ve seen this season, there are a number of exciting talents coming through.

The focus on playing younger players is also leading to another minor issue, clubs bringing players into first team football at an early age, building a good side and then university calls and you have to start again. I know of several teams who regularly lose 5-10 players each season due to them heading to uni. Hopefully with a new influx of 16 year olds being given a chance each season and with players returning to the game or from university there will be enough players to go around in the coming seasons.

Many teams in the area do have fantastic youth set-ups, the aforementioned Ascot United being a prime example but Woodley United also fall into that category. They have an excellent coaching set-up with teams at all age groups. There has also been a lot of investment locally in clubs adding new developmental teams to give a pathway into the first teams (i.e. Maidenhead United) and adding younger age group teams and coaching which is great to see. This approach can only be beneficial in the coming years as they’ll have a steady stream of players ready to step up each season.

Unfortunately, we’ve lost a few teams throughout the leagues over the last twoyears, folding for various reasons, lack of available players, the increasing costs including pitch hire etc and sadly, in some cases, having a board or chairman that freeze the women’s teams out of the club. Luckily this last point seems to be happening less and most clubs boards I speak to on my travels are desperate for their ladies sections to grow and prosper.

A cautionary note. There’s a lot of TV and sponsorship money going into the game at the top level right now which is great to see as it’s only going to help the development of the game with some of the top players in the world lining up each Sunday in the WSL and Championship. Sadly, as with the men’s game, the windfall seems to be concentrating on going to the big clubs in the top two divisions with little funding trickling down the pyramid. Hopefully this will change but I won’t be holding my breath. 

We’re also now starting to see divisions within divisions with pro clubs looking to spend to move up the pyramid as quickly as possible and the smaller more established teams not being able to compete. Survival of the fittest (or the wealthiest) they’ll say and it doesn’t sit well with me but that’s modern football I guess.

Enough of my concerns at the top of the tree, let’s get back to local football. I’ve already been to 25 women’s games this season, focussing on the Tier 5 through to Tier 7 levels in 24/25 and so far visited a host of the new teams in six different counties. From the under 18s at Berks County (a level new to me this year), to the top of Tier 5 and I have definitely noticed an improvement in the standard football being played, the coaching has undoubtedly improved throughout the levels with the technical and positional play now at a much higher level.

It does still appear there are currently big gaps in quality between the divisions with many teams gaining promotion struggling at a higher level, more noticable in the lower tiers, but I’m sure that will change. The better quality coaching they receive, the quicker the gaps will close. The way the ladies play is infectious too, they all seem to have a love of the game, play with smiles on their faces and are making friendships that will last a lifetime.

Another difference I’ve noticed, in men’s football many players are looking to move up the pyramid as quickly as possible (higher wages maybe a factor?), in women’s football a high percentage just want to play with their friends with little or no desire to move teams. I guess that’s what happens if you’ve developed a cameraderie through playing in the same team through the age groups?

The game at the lower levels has definitely moved on even in just two years, and I’d just like to pick out a couple of players who highlight that for different reasons, Ascot United currently top the SRWFL Premier and look destined to finally win promotion to the FAWNL after just missing out over the last couple of seasons. It’ll be interesting to see how they get on at the higher level as they have a solid foundation with a talented mix of experienced players and younger players who have come through their system. Leah Littlechild stands out for me there, a quality player who has been outstanding on each occasion I’ve seen her play this season.

As mentioned earlier, Woodley are the team I’ve seen the most over the last two and a half years, seventeen times in all, and a friendlier club from top to bottom you’d be hard pressed to find! They have Sarah Lawrence, who has played in most, if not all of those games, and I would have no hesitation in saying she is the most improved player I’ve seen over the past couple of years. Hard work together with great coaching is paying dividends at the Bulmershe Pavilion!

That’s just to name a couple of players who have caught my eye; I could rattle off names all day long from the array of teams I’ve seen over the last two years!

Photo: Courtesy of Andy Wicks

Over the past couple of seasons I’ve been lucky enough to have met some truly remarkable people at all levels in the women’s game, from chairmen through coaching staff and players, to the wonderful volunteers behind the scenes. I also count myself fortunate to have met and got to know many extremely talented sports photographers along the way, who give their time and resources to help promote the women’s game, just for the love of it. It’s also always a pleasure to occasionally bump into James Prickett and Pat Higgins, who have been covering the women’s football scene for twenty plus years and have forgotten more about the women’s game than I’ll ever know!

So all in all, I’m still having a blast, enjoying visiting new clubs at all levels, meeting more wonderful people along the way and certainly not regretting my decision to watch more women’s football at all. As the young players coming through get more experience and the players currently coming through the different age group systems receive better coaching, then the women’s game in the area will continue to prosper and, as the song goes, don’t stop believing!