The Cobblers will take on Loughborough Students Women in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League at Sixfields on Sunday 13th March with a 2pm kick off and all supporters are welcome.
The Northampton Town Women’s side currently sit top of the league with an unbeaten record and are excited to return to Sixfields Stadium following their record attendance (602) & 9-2 victory vs Rotherham United in September! This time we are hoping for an even bigger crowd to support & promote women’s football across Northamptonshire in conjunction with International Women’s Day that week.
While the progress and strength of the first team (managed by Lou Barry & Josh Oldfield) is evident through this season’s results and their exceptional league position, credit must be given to the overall programme which allows girls to filter through the ranks, striving for first team action.
Presently, over 200 girls embark on our programmes with opportunities available from the age of 5, offering girls with no football experience the chance to take part in engaging activities, and most importantly have fun through football. This allows girls to enrich their skills and progress through either our skills centres, grassroots teams or the elite player development centre (PDC). Previously, the step between u16 and adult football was too large for many. The introduction of the development team and FEP is pivotal to the player pathway, providing opportunity for those younger players to work toward the First team.
Here at the Northampton Town FC Community Trust, we see next month as a fantastic opportunity to not only raise the profile of the NTFC Women’s team but develop the interest in women’s sport across Northamptonshire as a whole. By using the unique appeal of the football club & the awareness of International Women’s Day, we are excited to celebrate women’s sport in this manner & create a local event which can inspire future generations to get involved in football.
Phillip Smith, CEO at the Northampton Town FC Community Trust has said,
“It was fantastic to see a crowd of over 600 people at Sixfields to watch the women’s game against Rotherham. That really showed just how far the game has grown and how much this side has moved forward in the last few years. We are looking forward to trying to break that record & more importantly continue to improve the awareness and reach of the women’s game”
Josh Oldfield, Joint Manager of the Northampton Town Women’s First Team stated,
“Their results have been a true testament to not only all the girls hard work off and, on the field, but the people in the background too. The coaches, sports psychologists, physios, right through to the media team – all lead to the results and forward progress made. These are all volunteers that give up their time to create this environment and it never goes unnoticed.”
A massive thank you must be shared with Velvet Mortgage & Insurance Services for sponsoring this match day, it is fantastic to see local businesses with the same passion for developing the women’s game and without their support this event wouldn’t be possible.
General admission prices are as follows: Northampton Town season ticket holders are free, under 18s are free, while over 18s are £3 in advance via www.ntfcdirect.co.uk, or £5 payable on arrival.
If your business would like to help support the growth of women’s football across Northamptonshire, there are several partnership and sponsorship opportunities available. Please contact Charlene Ward-Greef at charlene.wardgreef@ntfc.co.uk to find out more.
For more information or if you would like to get involved in our women and girl’s projects, please visit www.ntfccommunity.co.uk
