Wigton Moor Junior AFC’s recent success has been truly remarkable and they currently boast six girls’ teams, two of which have emerged in the last two seasons.
Peter Graves, the current Head of Girls at Wigton Moor has a vision to build a girls’ team at every age group which with help from West Riding County FA is a dream which will surely be realised over the next few years. By building sustainable, positive links between the club and local schools Wigton Moor are very much planning for the future.
The hard work undertaken by the team at Wigton Moor has already been paying dividends. Take the U-13s, who over the last 4 years have become the dominant girls team in the area. Since 2012 the girls have developing under the guidance of Colin Sherman, a familiar face too many in the local female game.
Under Sherman’s stewardship the U-13s have developed vastly and for 2 consecutive seasons have remained unbeaten. This success has encouraged Wigton Moor to test themselves against the very best girls’ teams in the country. In recent seasons, Wigton Moor have launched a new tournament named the “Girls Northern Champions League”.
As the name suggests, the tournament seeks to pit the top teams from the across the north against each other. The growing reputation of the tournament has led to esteemed clubs such as Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackpool seeking inclusion. The project has evolved to such a status that even the established Handsworth and AFC Manchester have participated.
In addition to their own mini “Champions League”, Wigton Moor where proud to represent the region at the National tournament, ACES. The competition, which is the biggest grassroots tournament in the country represented a real challenge for the girls, however they proudly made it to the semi-finals.
The success of the U-13 team and the talent of the girls have led to many of the players being recognised and the West Riding County FA Player Development Centre has provided an exit route for many of the girls, with a view to progressing them into the professional game.
The PDC has provided the platform between Wigton Moor and professional clubs such as Leeds United, Doncaster Rovers and York City. Over the last 3 years, the club team has consistently seen a number of girls progress to the PDC.
With so many players progressing through the club, the management are incredibly supportive of the girls continuing in football and developing their talent. During the 2013-14 season, one particular Wigton Moor team advanced two players through to Leeds United Centre of Excellence, with one girl opting to join York City.
Peter Graves (the U-13s’ manager) said. “I was gutted to lose the girls from the team, but also from our football family. I am, however, fantastically proud of them and even if they are not playing for us, they are still part of our team and always welcome at our functions. We now see our role as a feeder club for the PDC. ”
Due to the volume of players progressing through the club, Wigton Moor have called in the support of West Riding County FA who have been helping the club recruit new players through the ‘Join Our Club’ scheme. Wigton Moor are also currently working with a number of schools in North Leeds.
West Riding County FA’s Women’s and Girls Football Development Officer, Caroline Hulme believes Wigton Moor are demonstrating all the attributes needed to progress the female game. “Peter, David, Sherman and the whole team at Wigton Moor are incredibly dedicated and passionate about the game. We are overjoyed to see the progression of the players and it really is testament to the work going on at the club.”
To realise these ambitions, Wigton Moor are always looking to recruit new players. Whether they have played the game before, or not, Wigton Moor welcomes girls of all abilities who demonstrate a positive attitude. To get in touch with the club, and to find out how you can get involved with any of the girls teams contact Peter Graves on 07710 447159.
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