Women’s football will return to Leyton Orient this season – and the team has set their sights on promotion.
A new Leyton Orient WFC will compete this season in the London & South East Regional League Premier Division. The development comes after Orient and KIKK United agreed that KIKK would be re-branded and represent the O’s.
“We are very pleased to be able to help promote the further development of women’s and girls’ football and we hope to establish Orient as a force in the women’s game as well as the men’s,” said Leyton Orient Chief Executive Alessandro Angelieri.
“The new Leyton Orient WFC will provide an avenue for female footballers to play at an elite level and have the opportunity to represent Orient and pull on the famous red shirts.”
Orient WFC manager, Chris Brayford, believes that the link-up will allow the team to compete at the highest levels of the game:
“We have a great history as KIKK United but this is a fantastic step forward; we are all very keen to be a part of the Orient family and we are extremely grateful for the support from Leyton Orient Football Club and the Community Trust,” he said.
“We want to reciprocate that support, in particular by achieving our immediate goal of promotion to the FA Women’s Premier League”.
The initiative represents a chance to return home for some of the club’s players who came through the old Leyton Orient girls’ academy. These include Lizzie Tucker (ex-England U-18s), Lydia Cooper, Connie Montiel-McCann and Jasmine Campbell.
Orient’s league season started on August 23rd with a victory over Fulham FC Foundation in their first game followed by a loss to AFC Wimbledon in their second.
This Sunday (September 6th) sees Orient in an away tie versus AFC Dunstable at Creasey Park in the SSE Women’s FA Cup. All home matches are 2pm kick-offs at Mile End Stadium and the club’s fixture list can be found on the FA’s Full-Time system here.
Orient fans will also be able to follow the progress of the team via the club’s media outlets.
If you are interested in playing for, or working with, Leyton Orient WFC (or for further information) please contact the club at: [email protected]
Source – leytonorient.com
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