If you thought non-league football was a male-only world, then think again. Chris Pratt of another-league.co.uk reports on his first women’s match.
By Chris Pratt
Tough tackling, commitment and camaraderie. They are all qualities I would associate with the men’s game, particularly at non-league level.
But would I find this in the women’s non-league scene? I found the answer to be a resounding yes when I experienced my first women’s football match at Curzon Ashton Ladies FC.
A Greater Manchester club plying their trade in the FA Women’s Premier League Midlands Division One, The Blues are in the equivalent to the fourth step of the men’s football pyramid.
Club Secretary Bev Lambourne greeted me as I arrived at a wet, windswept Dukinfield Town FC, where Curzon play their home games.
It didn’t take me long to discover that volunteers play a huge part in the running of a club at this level. Fixtures secretary Debbie Tierney had fixed me up with a coffee within five minutes of arriving and Treasurer Alan Garner appeared shortly afterwards – fresh from putting up the nets and the corner flags.
Bev sums it up perfectly when she says, “the reality is that everybody mucks in.”
STRONG BONDS
Bev got involved with the women’s game when her daughter Emma (now player-manager at Curzon) began playing football when she nine years old. She has followed the game since and has been ‘mucking in’ for 15 years, which included a spell at Crewe Alexandra.
Alan’s daughter is also part of the Curzon team. On face value, it appears that family ties provide the strongest bonds to the game. But that’s not true for everyone.
Diehard fan Howard Senior just loves women’s football. Whatever the level.
“I follow City of Manchester WFC and Stockport County Ladies Team, as well as Curzon,” explained Howard. “I’m just a fan of the game.”
So it seems water can be just as thick as blood. Maxine and Ian Seymour are fans of parent club Curzon Ashton and follow both the men’s and the women’s teams.
Maxine was selling raffle tickets (I must check if I won) and Ian designs the well-researched programme. I think you’re getting the idea.
The game also didn’t disappoint. Tackles flew in, interspersed with friendly banter.
“Why are keepers, keepers? Because they don’t like running” was a personal favourite I heard from the opposition FC Reedswood player as her own keeper refused to retrieve a ball from the long grass.
BARREN
Curzon had been on a barren run of late, and despite showing commitment and determination, they went down 2-0. The Curzon team is made up of a combination of young players in their mid- to late-teens and more experienced campaigners in their mid-twenties and above. There’s a noticeable gap in between.
Player-manager Emma explained that at a lower level, there is a big leap between the youth and the women’s game.
“The younger girls come into a really physical game when they make that step up. They just don’t experience that in the youth game,” she said.
“It’s a huge transition physically and more needs to be done at under-18 and under-21 levels to bring these girls on. Particularly in the lower leagues.”
There was a general consensus that the profile of the ladies game was higher than it has ever been, but this has also come with its problems.
“The game has just moved on too quickly,” Alan explained. “Clubs like Manchester City have squads of 60 players, but we rarely see them being loaned out to clubs in lower divisions to gain experience. So where do these girls play?”
It also seems that the FA are placing all their eggs into one basket by concentrating solely on the Women’s Super League and potentially neglecting the game further down the pyramid. Will those chickens – and that gap – come home to roost?
Curzon’s future is uncertain. They’re likely to be relegated this season and their parent club, Curzon Ashton are going to take over the running of the ladies section at the end of the season. Next season seems a long way off.
The models of running a women’s team vary. Many clubs are closely associated with their male counterparts and also wear the same colours. Others are more loosely connected. Others are not affiliated at all.
Even the Super League clubs, who in some cases get huge support from their male cohorts may only get the opportunity to play one match on their clubs hallowed turf. This is only the case for the top tier clubs in the Super League & FA Women’s Premier League. For many clubs the only connection is the name and kit.
One thing is certain: this won’t be my one and only foray into the realms of the women’s football. I’ve only scratched the surface of a great lower-league game that deserves to be supported in it’s own right.
I’m certain that there are Bevs, Gordons, Emmas and the rest all across the country, who won’t stop until their game gets the recognition it deserves.
Find your local club and give it a go.
Chris Pratt writes for another-league.co.uk and is on twitter @chrispratt5
SHE KICKS – the online community for women’s football
