Basingstoke Town Ladies were formed in 1992 to play in the Southern Region League. The club nearly folded at the end of the 2000/2001 season, due to a number of players leaving to form a ladies team for the Hatch Warren club (which has since folded). After what was to be a final appearance at the annual Clacton 7-a-side tournament, the remaining players couldn’t bear the thought that the club would fold, and decided that somehow they would try and keep the club alive. With a skeleton squad, the team joined the newly formed Hampshire County women’s League and quickly managed to learn enough about football administration to get things going. With no coach, no away kit and barely enough players to form a team, sheer determination got the team to the end of that first season. We were the holder’s of the ‘strongest team in the league’ wooden trophy for the first 3 seasons, often turning up to matches without a full team, and without enough transport - ferrying people to and from the nearest railway station for away games.
We recruited some great youngsters and Steve Pike came on board as coach in 2003, bringing amongst other things, organisation, discipline and professionalism to the squad. We have been building the team steadily since that time, slowly but surely improving. Steve Pike has also coached a number of the Basingstoke Town Colts girls’ sides which has enabled us to develop great links between the two clubs. Young players have come through the Colts set up, from the age of 9 or 10, and have gradually worked their way into the women’s squad.
The team gained promotion to the first division of the HCWL by finishing as division 2 champions at the end of the 06/07 season, and also winning the Hampshire FA Intermediate Cup. They finished the 07/08 season (their first in the top division) in an impressive second place, nearly clinching the title, and having a spell where they were unbeaten in 22 months of league competition! They also turned the tables in their 3rd successive North Hampshire Cup Final to beat local rivals Andover New Street 2-1. The first team will be pushing hard for promotion to the Southern Region next year, which will enable them to move up a step in the Women’s football pyramid. (Promotion through the pyramid would be as follows: Hampshire County Womens League (3 divs), Southern Region (2 divs), South West Combination (1 div), Premier League South (1 div), Premier League National(1 div).
In time for the start of the 2007/8 season, the squad grew sufficiently to support a second team, who are currently competing in the third division of the Hampshire County Women’s League. The reserve squad has been created from the core of the previous seasons under 17 side, a few players who dropped down from the first team, and a selection of new recruits – some who have never even played football before. The reserve side did extremely well in their first season, ending up mid table, and fired up for the 08/09 season. Basingstoke town Ladies are currently the only women’s club in the Basingstoke area who are working on achieving the FA’s Charter Standard certificate, which we hope to achieve before the commencement of the 08/09 season. The Charter Standard Scheme is best practice guide that sets standards of coaching, administration and child protection for all clubs outside the Football League and Premier League.
The club has a good history of community involvement. In the past few seasons, coaches and players have been involved in delivering coaching and classroom based workshops in schools and have also been taken part in school mentoring schemes. We have worked alongside the local council to deliver a community coaching project called ‘Return to Sport’ which encourages women who have never previously played football, or have been out of the game for a long time, to come along to some taster training sessions. We have recruited a number of reserve team players from this process.
Members of the clubs management committee are heavily involved as volunteer administrators in a variety of organisations. This includes working with the local sports council, being members of Hampshire and North Hampshire FA Councils and holding offices within the Hampshire County Women’s League. In this way the club can help to shape and influence the development of women’s football in Hampshire, and as a consequence, further a field. The club have also been involved in a variety of fundraising efforts, from hosting car boot and jumble sales to posing for and producing a ‘calendar girls’ style calendar. When you look back at those days when we were frantically trying to rescue the club, playing with virtually no squad and no money, it really has been a fantastic journey to bring the club to where it is today. We are looking forward to continued success on the field, and strengthening our community links to build the club into one of the best providers of women’s football in the North Hampshire area.
We recruited some great youngsters and Steve Pike came on board as coach in 2003, bringing amongst other things, organisation, discipline and professionalism to the squad. We have been building the team steadily since that time, slowly but surely improving. Steve Pike has also coached a number of the Basingstoke Town Colts girls’ sides which has enabled us to develop great links between the two clubs. Young players have come through the Colts set up, from the age of 9 or 10, and have gradually worked their way into the women’s squad.
The team gained promotion to the first division of the HCWL by finishing as division 2 champions at the end of the 06/07 season, and also winning the Hampshire FA Intermediate Cup. They finished the 07/08 season (their first in the top division) in an impressive second place, nearly clinching the title, and having a spell where they were unbeaten in 22 months of league competition! They also turned the tables in their 3rd successive North Hampshire Cup Final to beat local rivals Andover New Street 2-1. The first team will be pushing hard for promotion to the Southern Region next year, which will enable them to move up a step in the Women’s football pyramid. (Promotion through the pyramid would be as follows: Hampshire County Womens League (3 divs), Southern Region (2 divs), South West Combination (1 div), Premier League South (1 div), Premier League National(1 div).
In time for the start of the 2007/8 season, the squad grew sufficiently to support a second team, who are currently competing in the third division of the Hampshire County Women’s League. The reserve squad has been created from the core of the previous seasons under 17 side, a few players who dropped down from the first team, and a selection of new recruits – some who have never even played football before. The reserve side did extremely well in their first season, ending up mid table, and fired up for the 08/09 season. Basingstoke town Ladies are currently the only women’s club in the Basingstoke area who are working on achieving the FA’s Charter Standard certificate, which we hope to achieve before the commencement of the 08/09 season. The Charter Standard Scheme is best practice guide that sets standards of coaching, administration and child protection for all clubs outside the Football League and Premier League.
The club has a good history of community involvement. In the past few seasons, coaches and players have been involved in delivering coaching and classroom based workshops in schools and have also been taken part in school mentoring schemes. We have worked alongside the local council to deliver a community coaching project called ‘Return to Sport’ which encourages women who have never previously played football, or have been out of the game for a long time, to come along to some taster training sessions. We have recruited a number of reserve team players from this process.
Members of the clubs management committee are heavily involved as volunteer administrators in a variety of organisations. This includes working with the local sports council, being members of Hampshire and North Hampshire FA Councils and holding offices within the Hampshire County Women’s League. In this way the club can help to shape and influence the development of women’s football in Hampshire, and as a consequence, further a field. The club have also been involved in a variety of fundraising efforts, from hosting car boot and jumble sales to posing for and producing a ‘calendar girls’ style calendar. When you look back at those days when we were frantically trying to rescue the club, playing with virtually no squad and no money, it really has been a fantastic journey to bring the club to where it is today. We are looking forward to continued success on the field, and strengthening our community links to build the club into one of the best providers of women’s football in the North Hampshire area.
