Workington Reds Ladies FC will kick off their footballing life at Derwent Park this coming Sunday in an FA Cup First Round Qualifying tie against Washington Women’s AFC.
The game should have been played at Borough Park on Sunday but like football at all levels was postponed following the death of the Queen.
The Reds Ladies have moved to Derwent Park to ease the playing pressure on Borough Park, especially during the winter months when the surface can take a battering.
Looking for a base to play permanently until the new proposed stadium is up and running, the Ladies have former a partnership with Workington Town rugby league club and aim to celebrate the first game at Derwent Park with a feast of football and entertainment.
Along with the main FA Cup game, there will also be a Girls Under 14s West Cumbria Youth League game between Allerdale Tigers and Cleator Moor Celtic which will kick off at noon.
The main event follows at 2pm and both junior teams will also be supplying younger mascots for the main game.
There will be entertainment for the younger children with a Bouncy Castle with free admission. After the game, local female vocalist, Holly Goodyer, will provide entertainment between 5pm and 7pm. Urban Grill will be on site should anyone want a bite to eat.
Reds committee member Chloe Henderson said: “I’ve played football in and around Workington since I was a young girl and I can honestly say that I have never seen anything on this scale locally for the ladies and girls that play football.
“To be able to include local youth players into our match day is amazing for us and it hopefully shows that we see the importance of growing links with the female footballers in our community.”
Fellow committee member, Megan Yarnold added “I remember as a 14-year-old footballer, we weren’t allowed to compete in the boys’ teams and there was very little provisions locally. I had to travel the 70-mile round trip to Carlisle just to play football.
“The development in the game and the provisions that the local clubs provide nowadays is superb and we are hoping that events like this Sunday’s game will show the younger lasses that there is a future in football for them when they leave the Youth League structure.”
Club captain Naomi Foster said: “The success of the Women’s European Championships has catapulted our game into the minds of the public, but we can’t rest there, we have to keep pushing to ensure that the route to football is as positive and effective as possible for the girls that are starting out in the youth leagues.”
Chairwoman Hannah Geen drew attention to the support the club has had, saying: “This has been a community effort in several ways. Bryan Thompson from Allerdale Girls FC and Aaron Carney from Cleator Moor Celtic Girls FC have both been amazing and enthusiastically jumped at the chance to work alongside us.
“We have had a donation from local businessman Phillip Carruthers to help cover the costs as well as Sean Parnaby from West Port who have donated towards the purchase of our new set of goals. Workington Tesco and the Carnegie Cafe have also helped to put the finishing touches on the day.”
Reds treasurer Linzi Donaldson added: “We have pushed the boat out as it’s our first game at Derwent Park. Admission to all of our games is free although any donations would be gratefully accepted.”
“Town have given us a great opportunity on two different fronts. Firstly, by providing us with a venue to play our games and secondly, by giving us the infrastructure to start to grow the interest in the game and our club.“We’d love to see the community coming down and cheering the team on and if Town can generate some extra income from this through sales over the bars then everyone’s a winner.”
