Burnley FC Girls & Ladies

Burnley FC Girls & Ladies
Full name Burnley FC Girls & Ladies
Nickname(s) The Clarettes
Founded 1995
Ground Barden Sports Ground
Ground Capacity 1,000
Chairman Tim Milne-Redhead
Manager Kris Jones
League North West Women's Regional Football League Premier Division
2014–15 North West Women's Regional Football League Premier Division, 4th.
Website Club home page

Burnley FC Girls & Ladies is a women's only football club from Burnley in north east Lancashire and is affiliated with Burnley F.C.. The clubs First Team is managed by Kris Jones and plays in the North West Women's Regional Football League Premier Division. Home games are played at Barden Sports Ground, the home of Burnley United F.C. who play in the West Lancashire Football League Premier Division.

History

Burnley FC Girls & Ladies was founded in 1995 by John Lister, just too late for hometown girl and former England international goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis to join as a child.[1] The club initially consisted of 15 ladies, who trained in the old sports barn at Turf Moor and played their home games at the clubs training facility at Gawthorpe.[2] Following the demise of the Lancashire League, the team joined the North West Women's Regional League, where it continues to play to this day.[3]

The 2015 Season was a successful one for the clubs two open age teams. The First Team finished fourth in the North West Women's Regional League Premier Division,[4][5] whilst the newly formed Senior Development Squad, commenced play in the Lancashire County Football Association Division 2, where they finished as runners-up.

The club has had a strong junior set-up from the outset. An Under 10s side was formed by Grahame Meeks and Peter Cooper shortly after the First Team was founded.[6] In 2015, with almost 180 registered players, the club is one of the largest female only football clubs in the North West.

The junior set-up is not part of the Elite Player Performance Plan, a long-term strategy introduced in 2012 to take Premier League youth development to the next level. By deliberately avoiding 'Academy Status' girls of all ages and abilities are encouraged to take-up football. Of the clubs eight junior teams, six play in the West Lancashire Girls Football League, which was named Charter Standard League of the Year by the FA in 2013,[7] with the Under 9s and Under 15s teams electing to play in the North Valley and Burnley Unity Youth League for the 2015/16 Season.

The 2015/16 Season marks the clubs 20th Anniversary of playing competitive football.

First Team Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 England GK Karly Bland-Evans
2 England DF Jo Holt (C)
3 England DF Claire Pearson
4 England DF Taylor Gregson
5 England DF Paula Duffy
6 England MF Grace Bullock
7 England FW Sarah Greenhalgh
8 England MF Jo Rohman
9 England MF Justine Wallace
10 England MF Em Forrest
11 England FW Rebecca Hayton
12 England DF Bryony Bancroft
13 England MF Holly Hunter
14 England MF Lizzy Hamer
15 England MF Jane Sexton
16 England DF Katie Long
17 England MF Bex Charnley

References

  1. Geldard, Suzanne (8 September 2014). "England International Rachel Brown-Finnis wants to see the Burnley girls on the up". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  2. Milne-Redhead, Tim. "Club History". Burnley FC Girls & Ladies. Pitchero. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  3. "North West Womens Regional League". Full-Time League Administration. The Football Association. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  4. "Burnley FC Ladies guarantee top four finish with draw". Hartlepool Mail. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  5. "North West Womens Regional League". Full-Time League Administration. The Football Association. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  6. Milne-Redhead, Tim. "Club History". Burnley FC Girls & Ladies. Pitchero. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  7. Warham, Noel. "WLGFL Named Charter Standard League of the Year". West Lancashire Girls Football League. Retrieved 6 July 2015.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, September 14, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.