By Martin Lee, manager of BSLFC.
With the new 2020/21 season scheduled to start on 20th September, the players of Bradley Stoke Ladies FC (BSLFC) are looking forward to getting back to some form of normality.
Covid-19 meant that training was suspended in March and the season was voided, but the ladies are now back to competitive training and can’t wait to be back playing against the other teams in the league again.
Training has been a mix of fitness sessions and technical work with the footballs, in order for us to prepare fully for the new season.
We have also had several new players come and join us recently for the new season. These include five 16-year-old girls, which highlights again that we like giving young players the opportunity to play football at the club. A big welcome to all the new players – we look forward to seeing them out on the pitch!
Two teams, one club
The BSLFC development team was set up in 2018 when we had too many players to accommodate within a single team. This has been a huge positive for the club, allowing more and more young girls and women to play football.
For the 2020/21 season, the development team has been rebranded as ‘The Vixens’. We feel the team has come a long way since it started and therefore the new name better represents the future of the team. The new players who joined last season have really improved and made a stance in the team, which has been fantastic to see.
Both teams train at the same venue and come together at the end of each training session, usually to play a match. We are two teams but one united club.
Pre-season friendlies
The First Team were scheduled to play pre-season friendlies against Stockwood Wanderers and Ellwood during August. These will be followed in September by games against Abbeymead Rovers (6th) and Olveston United (13th).
The Vixens were scheduled to play Southmead on 23rd August, followed in September by Winchcombe (6th) and Whitchurch (13th).
The aim of these friendlies is to give our new players game time, try out new formations and improve overall play before the season starts, so we will be all ready to go!
Club details
Both our First Team (Division 2) and The Vixens (Division 3) play in the Gloucestershire County Women’s Football League. Training takes place in Bradley Stoke on Tuesday evenings and matches are on Sunday with 2pm kick offs. Fixtures for the new season can be found on the FA Full Time website.
If you are interested in playing for a friendly and local ladies’ football club, please get in touch via our website www.bradleystokeladiesfc.co.uk or email Martin Lee at mlee1@btopenworld.com
This article originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 23). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
