As a season ticket holder at Chorley FC, I get free admission to the women’s teams’ games and instead of sitting indoors doing nothing, or worse unpacking, I decided to make use of my season ticket and attend my first ever women’s football match. I’m not sure why I’ve not been to a women’s game before, and the only thing I can think of is the fact that it doesn’t receive the same attention as men’s football. Nevertheless, I headed down to Victory Park looking forward to what would hopefully be a good game.
My interest in women’s football started when I first went to Deepdale, as they have a memorial to ‘Dick, Kerr’s Ladies’, who were one of the earliest women’s football teams. From 1917 to 1965, they played 833 games, winning 759, drawing 46 and losing only 28. Attendances at their matches attracted anywhere between 4,000 to 50,000 spectators, and what makes these even more remarkable is the fact that they achieved this despite facing strong opposition from the English FA who banned the women from using fields and stadiums controlled by FA-affiliated clubs until 1971.
Once again, the FA showed how incompetent they are as their ban on female teams using FA-affiliated clubs’ facilities set the female game back as they were forced to use smaller capacity fields with less resources and less exposure than the men. If only the FA were as good at banning dodgy owners as they were banning the women’s game. The ban was repealed in 1971, however ‘Dick, Kerr’s Ladies’ had folded six years prior to the ban being repealed and we can only imagine what they would have achieved if they had not faced such ridiculous opposition from the FA.
Recently attitudes towards the women’s game have improved and the women’s game is starting to get the support that it deserves, however there is still a long way to go until equality is achieved.
I did write earlier that I had been unable to find a history of Leafield Athletic Ladies, that has since changed as I have been emailed a copy of the club’s history which reads as follows;
“Leafield Athletic Ladies FC were formed in 1997 with a single junior team and are founder members of the Central Warwickshire Girls Football League. Adding a team each season the club quickly grew with the founding team progressing to senior football.
In 2002 the Ladies won promotion from the West Midlands Regional League, Division One South. Having narrowly missing out on the Premier Division title in their maiden season, promotion was secured to the then Midland Combination League in 2004, beating West Bromwich Albion to the title.
Whilst the junior setup sustained its growth, a number of junior players made the successful step to senior football and were integral to the club maintaining its place in the Midland Combination and then the FA Women’s Premier League, Midland Division for 12 consecutive seasons.
Unfortunately after an extremely difficult campaign the Ladies were relegated in 2016. A new management team went about rebuilding a depleted squad, stabilised in 2017 and then narrowly missed out on promotion despite not losing a league or cup fixture in 2018, although securing the clubs first ever senior Cup Final victory, defeating Bedworth Utd in a hard fought final.
Another management change came about in 2018 and the squad secured promotion to return to tier 4 at the fourth attempt.
The club currently have approximately approx. 85 players registered across 6 teams ranging from Under 8s through to Open Age. There is a proven and open pathway for girls to follow with the opportunity to play senior football at the club.
Leafield boast a number of very successful ex-players who are now playing/coaching in Europe or in the top two tiers of the women’s game in England-, these include Eniola Aluko (Juventus), Katy Moran (Coventry United), Leigh Dugmore (Leicester City Women), Amber Hughes (Coventry United).
Following successful Football Foundation and Sport England bids, significant developments are still ongoing at the clubs Rumbush Lane ground where all of the clubs junior teams also ply their trade.”
Chorley FC Women were formed in 1978 as Cumberland Rangers Ladies by Mr E. Gardner and were initially based in Preston. They changed their name to Chorley Ladies FC in 1983 since most of the squad came from the Chorley area. In 1984 they won the North West Women’s League Second Division, and in 1990 they finished third in the newly formed NWW Regional Football League Division Two. Over the next twenty-two seasons, they secured three league titles and five runners up spots across regional football. In the 2011-12 season they won promotion to the Northern Combination, finishing second in their first two seasons. In their first four seasons in the FA Women’s National League Division One North they finished, fifth, third, fifth and sixth up to 2017-18.
It took until the summer of 2018 for common sense to prevail, as Chorley Ladies joined the Magpie Family becoming Chorley FC Women. This now meant that Chorley FC Women would play in Chorley, using Victory Park as their home. Previously they played out of Euxton Villa’s ground, with their prior kit striking a resemblance to the Euxton Villa kit.
As the sun was out, I decided to head down to Victory Park earlier than I normally would, and by 1.30pm I was sat on the terrace of the Duke Street End with a pint of Thirsty Magpie Lager. Normally I wouldn’t venture into the Social Club as it’s normally rammed but with the ground rather quiet I headed in. A private party was being held in the main room, but the 1886 Lounge had been made available to anyone attending the football. I was over-the-moon to be asked whether I wanted to drink inside or out, as nothing beats sitting in the sun with a cold pint watching football.
With kick-off getting closer and closer, I decided to head into the Main Stand where most of the crowd were sat. The Main Stand at Victory Park is a work of art, and in my opinion, it should be a listed structure to protect it in the future. Sure it’s rusty, there are pigeons in the roof, roof supports obstruct your view and the majority of the seats are wooden benches, but that’s what gives the stand character and in a world where every new stadium looks the same, it’s rather nice to have a bit of character left in football.
It took only six minutes for the first goal to be scored, and what a goal it was. Chorley won a free kick on the left-hand side of the area, and Grace Vella struck a beautiful, curling effort into the top corner. Beth Donoghue doubled Chorley’s lead in the 16th minute, as the ball was worked into the box and from the left-hand side of the area, Donoghue fired the ball home.
Ellie Mills made it 3-0 in the 28th minute, with a similar goal to the second. The ball was again worked into the box and Mills finished clinically. Three minutes later it was 4-0, as following some clever build-up play, the ball was played from the left of the box to the right where Rebecca Kemp was on hand to score.
Leafield pulled one back straight from the kick-off, as the ball was quickly played into the Chorley box, and a mix up at the back allowed the Leafield number 7 to slot the ball home. The goals continued to flow as only a minute after Leafield’s goal, Ellie Mills made it 5-1 with a good finish from the right-hand side of the area.
The action didn’t stop there though, as in the 40th minute Leafield earned a penalty. From what I saw it was a soft penalty to concede, and it was converted nicely. Just before half-time, Beth Donoghue doubled her personal tally as the ball was won back in the Leafield area, it was then played across the box to the right-hand side for Donoghue to finish.
In comparison to the first half, the second half started rather quietly, although with the temperature being as high as it was, I could understand why the tempo of the game had dropped. Beth Donoghue picked up a well-earned hat-trick in the 56th minute, following another piece of intelligent passing culminating in a through-ball which sliced through the Leafield defence like a hot knife through butter, Donoghue made no mistake and fired home.
Chorley’s eighth goal came in the 60th minute from an indirect free kick in the Leafield area. I’m not 100% sure why the indirect free kick was given, and from what I’ve read online it looks like it was given due to a back pass. Given the score line it did feel harsh, however the referee must apply the rules consistently. It’s been a long time since I have seen an indirect free kick in the box, and I wasn’t disappointed as the ball was slammed home by Charlotte Marshall.
The ninth goal arrived in the 78th minute, as once again a beautiful through ball carved the Leafield defence apart, and the ball was fired home by Jodie Pilling, who had replaced the hat-trick hero Beth Donoghue. The score line reached double figures in the 85th minute, as Megan Searson fired home an exquisite free kick. Out of all the goals I saw in this game, Searson’s free kick has to have been the best, and is possibly one of the best that I’ve ever seen.
The game finished 10-2 to Chorley, and despite the score line not once did I hear a Leafield player complain to the ref or criticise a team-mate. Leafield played well and were unlucky to come up against a goal-hungry Chorley side. I was impressed by how the Leafield players conducted themselves in defeat, and I think a few men’s teams could learn a thing or two from them.
Thank you for reading.
David's Adventures in Groundhopping 