Southampton F.C. Women
Southampton F.C. Women are an English women's football club based in Southampton who play in the FA Women's National League Division One South West, tier 4 of the English Women's national league system.
Full name | Southampton Football Club Women | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Saints | |||
Founded | 2018[1][2][3] | |||
Ground | Testwood Park, Totton[4] | |||
Capacity | 3,000 | |||
Owner | Lander Sports Investment | |||
Chairman | Gao Jisheng | |||
Manager | Marieanne Spacey-Cale, MBE | |||
League | FA Women's National League Division One (Tier 4) | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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They are affiliated with Southampton F.C. who play in the men's Premier League.
History
Origins
In 1970, Southampton Women's F.C. was formed by female fans of the men's team, but the two clubs were unaffiliated. Southampton Women's F.C. went on to great success in England, winning the WFA Cup (Women's FA Cup) eight times.
Another team, Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies F.C. were formed in 1979 as Red Star FC, who were founder members of the WFA Women's National League in 1991. As Saints Girls & Ladies, the club was absorbed by Southampton F.C. in 2001. The club had financial difficulties in 2005; the men's senior side were relegated from the Premier League after 27 years of top-flight football, and Southampton F.C. withdrew support for the female side. Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies continued without major club support for another 14 years, before announcing their demise due to financial difficulties in July 2019.[5][6]
Revival
By 2016 Southampton FC, under new ownership, saw the need for a competitive senior women's team as the profile of women's football in the UK grew. With the club's Regional Talent Centre, a Southampton Under-16 team was formed,[7] and an Under-21 side in May 2017.[8] In March 2018, Southampton unsuccessfully applied to enter the FA Women's Championship (Tier 2).[9][10]
In July 2018, the club appointed former England international Marieanne Spacey-Cale as head of Women's and Girls' Football.[11] Spacey-Cale has 91 senior England caps. In June 2018, the senior team was listed for the following season's Southern Region Women's Football League First Division South.[12]
In the 2018–19 season, the club in fact played in the Southern Region Premier Division, and won the title with a perfect record of 18 wins,[13] earning promotion to the FA Women's National League Division One. They also beat Oxford City Women in the League Cup, achieving a domestic Double.[14]
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Youth Development
Southampton F.C. are well known for their youth development and scouting programmes.[17] The club run a female-specific development programme, spanning talent clubs, summer camps, and the FA-approved Premier League Girls' Football Programme. In May 2017 the club announced the formation of a dedicated U-21 women's squad to complement their coaching programme and provide a feeder route into the women's first team.[8]
Honours
- Southern Region Women's Football League Premier Division
- Champions (2018–19)[13]
- Southern Region Women's Football League Cup
- Champions (2018–19)
References
- "Saints' women off to a flyer". Southampton F.C. (26 August 2018).
- "Video: Introducing Southampton FC Women! Watch Southampton FC Women get to work at Staplewood Campus". Southampton F.C. 12 September 2018.
- "First home game for Saints". Southampton F.C. 14 September 2018.
- https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2018-08-24/southampton-afc-totton-partnership-womens-and-girls
- Garry, Tom (4 January 2020). "Women's FA Cup third round: Southampton's eight-time winners among sides bidding to join WSL giants". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- "Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies FC". en-gb.facebook.com.
- "International recognition for Saints' girls (11 Oct 2016)". SFC Media.
- "Saints announce new under-21 women's team". Southampton FC.
- "Southampton apply to join Women's Championship". March 23, 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- "Southampton: Saints' application for Women's Championship team denied". May 28, 2018.
- "Saints appoint Marieanne Spacey-Cale MBE". Southampton FC.
- https://www.footballinbracknell.co.uk/news/womens-football/34411/southern-region-womens-league-constitution/
- "Southern Region Women's Football League". fulltime-league.thefa.com.
- "Saints complete domestic double!". Southampton FC.
- "First team". Southampton F.C.
- "Squad numbers confirmed for 2019/20". Southampton F.C. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- "Southampton continue to invest in youth after Gao Jisheng's reshuffle | Football | The Guardian".