A Workington Town Girls team is looking for more players to help it keep going.
The Workington Town Girls Team U14’s Lions are on the hunt for new players to help the team keep playing and growing.
It was first formed at the start of the 2023/24 season and was re-named after Allerdale FC merged with Workington Town. It is run by volunteer head coach Matthew Craig and assistant coach Kevin Brough.
The team is aiming to help grow women’s football in Cumbria and its ethos is that female footballers should have the same opportunities – or better – than their male counterparts.
Training sessions are held in winter on Thursdays from 7.15pm to 8.30pm at Workington Academy while summer training takes place at 7pm until 8pm at UTC Lillyhall.
Kevin said: “Unfortunately this season we have lost quite a few players, some moving into different age categories and some having other commitments, which has left the team really low on numbers.
“As a result the girls have had to play most of the games this season with no subs, some against teams who have had three and four subs.
“Despite this the girls they have coped really well but is obviously very tough for them and would be really difficult for them to carry on doing that for the rest of the season.
“We have also had to concede a few games this season due to not being able to field a team, which means the opposition team is awarded the win, as you can appreciate this benefits nobody as at the end of the day its all about girls playing and enjoying football.
“So we are looking for new players of any experience and ability, for them to come and have a go at training and hopefully they enjoy it and are able to sign up.”
Matches are played predominantly on Sundays with no set time and home games are played at UTC Lillyhall. A few midweek games also take place throughout the season.
The season runs from September to May and the team plays in the West Cumbria Youth League U14 Girls Division.
Youngsters are able to start playing at the club from under age six right through to open age football, should they choose to.
The hope is for the club to develop a steady stream of players feeding into the three levels of football the open age teams currently offer.
This pathway through the club into open age football is something only Workington Town and one other club across the whole county can offer.
Kevin added: “The squad of 11 we currently have is a really good committed bunch of lasses, we feel we have created a good team spirit with a good attitude.
“The team is comprised of girls from Workington Academy, St Josephs, Keswick, Cockermouth and Netherhall schools which should hopefully help any new players settle in as chances are they will know someone.
“From my own personal experience, my son plays football and when he joined his team he was low on confidence. Now he’s joined his team he’s really flourished gained some good friendships, which is something that can happen for anyone that plays this sport.”
For more information, contact the Workington Town Girls FC Facebook page by clicking here.
