When Karl Watson was asked if he would take on responsibility for setting up and leading a women’s team at Moneyfields, he had some requests to make.
“I was interested, but only if we didn’t pay subs, we played in the stadium – we’re not going to be treated like second-class citizens because it’s women’s football. I’m going to be ambitious. If the club are willing to support me on [achieving] three promotions in three seasons and in a two-year window to get to tier 3, then that’s my vision for this thing, and if you want it and you’re going to back it and support me and let me run with it, then I’m interested.
“It ended up they agreed and I took the job from there.”
The FA Women’s National League Division One manager of the month for December recalls that it took him a couple of weeks to get the agreement over the line. He’d had plenty of experience in the women’s game with Portsmouth, and seen their squad of international players paying weekly fees to train and play, and contributing to their own hotel rooms for away trips.
“That journey, that part of going into Moneyfields made me think, ‘I want a good starting block. I don’t want to have to chip away at [my] demands. I want to set my stall out first, and that then gives me a foundation where I can then build.’
“So I didn’t have to get rid of subs, I didn’t have to argue over the pitch, because it was agreed before we [went] in.
“Money raises people’s eyebrows, right? The money that we’ve generated as a women’s team has has really helped establish it on the demands that I wanted and the growth I wanted.”
Jack Randall: The Moneyfields players are pushing me out of my comfort zone
After that start in 2017, Moneyfields worked their way up through the pyramid, securing promotion to the FA Women’s National League Division One South West in 2022 – the league they now lead.
First-team coach Jack Randall – who during the week works for Pompey in the Community, primarily in the girls’ programme – knows it’s a cliche to say that the players are like a family.
“They seem to love being around each other and they’ve got loads of good energy, loads of real positivity with each other,” he says. “But they’re not afraid to hold each other to account, which I think is probably their real push as a group.
“And that helps me because they’re pushing me outside of my comfort zone because this is only my first year as a [first-team coach] of a senior side. So they’re pushing me, which helps me push them.”
He noticed that vibe right from pre-season, and says the squad is “a plethora of talent” – so although he’s delighted with their form this season, he isn’t exactly surprised.
“You always think you’re going to have a good one. You’re always hoping for the best. I think we’re outperforming what we thought in terms of the level of play. The girls picked up everything so fast – they’re sponges, they just love learning, which we’re really fortunate for.”
Ali Hall: Imagine what we could do if we had more money!
Captain Ali Hall balances her football with her busy day job as a clinical trial manager, organising logistics on a worldwide level. When she left AFC Bournemouth last summer, she was keen to stay in tier four – but she has had plenty of experience of higher tiers in her earlier career, with spells at clubs including Aston Villa and Portsmouth – and says the way things operate now are a huge contrast.
Not so long ago, she says, players at tier three clubs would have minimal training time, whereas now they are moving towards a fully professional set-up.
And Moneyfields are working towards improving what they have on offer for their players even in tier four.
“Already we can see our facilities are getting bigger and better at the club,” she says, “and I think there’s a lot of determination to make sure that we can get there.”
Unsurprisingly, she is delighted to see her side at the top of the table – ahead of the likes of Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers.
“I’m so grateful I’ve been able to play for a few different clubs and some that have been very, very large clubs, attached to big, big establishments.
“But I’ve also had the opportunity to play for slightly smaller clubs. Playing at Moneyfields reminds me of when I used to play for Coventry. This is when I was about, I think, 18, 19. The men were non-league, a bit like Moneyfields. but it had a different feel to it. We competed with some of the best clubs back then when I was at Coventry – I say the best clubs, [I mean] the big-name clubs in the same league – and we’re doing the same now, and we’re also managing to beat them. A
“We have to strive to get more and get as much as we can. But if we’re outperforming some of those ‘bigger’ clubs now, imagine what we could do if we had the same support and the same backing that they do.”
Karl Watson: Misogyny drives me mad
This weekend, Moneyfields face tier three Gwalia United in the semi-final of the FAWNL Plate.
“A lot of the teams we play, we seem to be going in as the favourite,” says Randall. “So to go into a game as an underdog is is really nice.
“It’s a nice feeling for us because there’s no pressure. It’s going to be really interesting to see how they do when they when they can relax from the first whistle, which is silly to say in a semi-final, but it’s going to be good. It’s going to be one to watch.”
And with the team still in four competitions including their regional and local cups, they’re hoping for plenty of additions to the trophy cabinet this summer. What would be sweetest would, of course, be promotion.
Watson confesses that he still gets riled by having to fight for equality for his team and for women’s football more broadly.
“About three times a week, my head’s ready to explode and I’ve had enough,” he admits. “Something that’s happened drives you mad…it’s just something silly that the men don’t see.
“Every now and then there’s an unintentional piece of misogyny…and it drives me mad, makes me want to quit every week.
“That same thing is the thing that makes me not quit, because I won’t give in, I’m too stubborn. So the dragging, the rowing, the kicking, the screaming that we’ve had to do over the last eight years, when I see players like Ali and staff like Jack and all the others around us and the quality that we’ve now got, it makes it worthwhile.
“Fair to say, you might even see a tear or two if we achieve tier three this year.”
