Burnley F.C. Women


Burnley FC Women is a women's only football club from Burnley in North East Lancashire and is affiliated with Burnley Football Club. From its inception in 1995 until 2018 it was known as Burnley FC Girls and Ladies. The team is currently a member of the.

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. The club initially consisted of 15 ladies, who trained in the old sports barn at Turf Moor and played their home games at the club's training facility at Gawthorpe. Following the demise of the Lancashire League, the team joined the North West Women's Regional League.
The club established 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. In 2019, with almost 150 registered players, the club is one of the largest female only football clubs in the North West.

The Club

The youth set-up was grassroots for many years, to encourage players of all ages and abilities to take-up football. But from the start of the 2019/20 season players of all ages were required to negotiate trials to represent the club.
Several former players have advanced to the highest levels of the domestic game.
In 2014, after signing for Manchester United 13-year-old player Naomi Hartley commented: "I am a Burnley fan and have a season ticket, but you can’t turn down the chance to play for Manchester United. Now my aim is to play for England." In 2016, her dream came true when she made her debut for England Women's Under 16s against Germany. She then captained the team for the last 25 minutes in a 2–1 win over Norway at St George's Park in December.
On 3 September 2017, former players Cara Milne-Redhead and Sadie Mitchell were selected for the Scotland Women's u17 squad to travel to Slovenia. They then featured in the Women's u17 European Championship Preliminary Round played in Latvia between 14 and 20 October.
Several Clarets players have also won scholarships to play 'soccer' in the North American college system. At the end of the 2014/15 Season Sophie Greenwood and Hannah Till signed to play for Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Natalie Bell and Simone Keating headed to the States at the end of the 2015/16 Season to play for Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina and Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Oklahoma respectively, whilst First Team player Taylor Gregson took up a coaching opportunity in New Jersey.

2014/15 season

A new management structure brought about changes off the field. On it, the club's two open age teams experienced successful seasons. The First Team finished fourth in the North West Women's Regional League Premier Division, whilst the newly formed Senior Development Squad finished as runners-up in the Lancashire County Football Association Division 2, securing promotion in their first full season under the guidance of Manager Aidy Lamb.
In just their second season the Under 9 Clarets shared the WLGFL League Cup with Blackpool, coming from behind to draw 3–3 with 'The Tangerines'. They then went on to secure the WLGFL Premier League title.

2015/16 season

This was the club's 20th Anniversary Season of playing competitive football. The First Team started their Premier League campaign strongly, but faded towards the end of the season and promotion eluded them for another year. The Senior Development Squad more than held their own in the top division of county football.
There was considerable success in the junior ranks. In the West Lancashire Girls Football League, the Under 10s completed the league and cup double for the second consecutive season; the Under 15s won the North Valley & Burnley Unity Youth Football League at the first time of asking and the Under 16s defeated local rivals Blackburn in the final of the County Cup.

2016/17 season

At the start of the 2016/17 Season the club embarked on a new chapter in its history; strengthening its links with Burnley F.C., by joining forces with its nominated charity Burnley FC in the Community. Matt Bee was appointed as the first full-time Female Football Development Officer and is responsible for overseeing development throughout the club. He also took on the role of First Team Manager and led the team to a best ever third-place finish in the North West Women's Regional League Premier Division, behind Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic.
In the youth ranks the Under 11s were unable to repeat their league and cup double for a third successive season. But whilst they lost out by the odd goal in five to Preston North End in the League Cup semi final, they retained a share the WLGFL Premier League title by finishing level on points with Lostock Hall JFC Panthers. Elsewhere the Under 15s lost out on the league title when they were beaten by Feniscowles & Pleasington JFC in a championship decider on the final day of the season.

2017/18 season

The club introduced a new Open Age Pathway to bring talented young players from the junior system into the First Team set-up at the earliest opportunity.
The First Team had its most successful season on record. They won their three preliminary round games in the SSE Women's FA Cup, to qualify for the First Round proper for the first time in their history. A win away at Alnwick Town was followed by an upset victory over Stoke City in the Second Round, following a penalty shoot out. Their reward was another away trip to face Women's FA Premier League opponents. A late goal for Cardiff City saw the Clarets, the lowest ranked team still in the competition, lose out by the odd goal in five.
Cup success initially had an adverse effect on league results. But the confidence gained from their excellent cup run saw the team go unbeaten in their final league games. An important win at closest rivals Stockport County opened the door to the league title and the team gained promotion to the FA Women's National League Division 1 North.
In the youth ranks the club fielded two teams in the under 11 and under 13 age groups for the first time. The new under 13s Blue team announced its arrival by winning the Burnley Unity and North Valley League title.
After the season the club was rebranded Burnley FC Women.

2018/19 season

The club's First Team began its first season outside the regional and county leagues in the newly formed FA Women's National League Division One North.
At the end of the season the Lady Clarets clinched the title, and a second successive promotion, with a 3–0 win at Crewe Alexandra. The following season Burnley FC Women would play in FA Women's National League North, the third tier of women's football.

2019/20 season

The step up to the National League saw an influx of new players to the First Team squad. The season started well and the team went unbeaten in its first five games.
In February the Lady Clarets exited the FA Cup in the fourth round, after a 3–1 defeat at Leicester City.
Following a home win over Loughborough Foxes on 8 March, the team lay fifth in the table with just three league defeats. The season was then paused due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
The clubs junior teams were experiencing mixed fortunes. In late February the club announced that Becky Clough would oversee their operation, enabling Matt Bee to focus on First Team affairs.

Management and administration

Winners : 2018–19
North West Women's Regional Football League
Winners : 2017–18
Winners : 2004–05
Winners : 2003–04

Current First Team Squad

As of 11 July 2019