New season – New players – Same ambition

Bath City Women’s two teams will start their season on Sunday 1st September with the First team facing Bitton Ladies 1st team at Twerton Park in the 1st Round Qualifying of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup and the Development team beginning their league campaign against Wellington Wildcats at Peasedown St John Recreation Ground.

As they head into their third season, Bath City Women manager Matt Abreu and Community Director Jane Jones have shared their thoughts on what lies ahead for Bath City Women’s two teams.

Refreshed squads

Matt Abreu “This is only our third season but having started the first team in the 2022, then the development team last year, this is the first time where we haven’t had to recruit 16-20 players. For the coaches, we have therefore been able to really focus on areas we want to strengthen but also to consider how we can help each player to develop.

“The first team will be playing in the Northern division of the South West Regional Women’s Football League this season so will be facing some unfamiliar teams from Gloucestershire. The core of this squad remains the same as last year but we have brought in some additional players including Kelly Cutler, a striker who was with Bristol Rovers last season, Adella Clarke and Summer Hemmings from Paulton Rovers. I’m also pleased that we’ve been able to bring up some younger players who shone for the Development side last season. Tara Taylor will be our captain again, she is great role model and always gives her all.

For the Development team, Callum Heal their manager is doing a great job of instilling the same playing style as the first team into them. They were promoted and so will play against tougher opposition in Division 1 of the Somerset County Women’s League. It’s a balanced squad with a mixture of experience and youth and will be captained by Liv Davis, a player who has been with us since the beginning but has really flourished in the Development team.

Aims for the season

The first team finished fourth in the Eastern Division last season with only three losses but six draws. Matt Abreu will be looking to convert these draws into wins and also to have a strong cup run. He commented; “It was a step up for such a new team last season but we learnt a lot. I’m aiming to finish higher than last season and to continue to develop an attacking, exciting style of football that is good to watch. We go again in the FA Cup and also will be in the county cups and league cups this season. With the squad depth we have, we should be better able to cope with the demands a cup run puts on the players.”

For the Development team, Abreu thinks that the blend of experience in the squad and also that this is their second season means that they should be aiming to finish in the top four of their division and also put together a cup run in their league cup.

Off the pitch

When the team was set up in 2022, Jane Jones, Community Director at the club stated that they were aiming for parity with the men’s team and wanted to grow the game for women and girls in the area. She reflected on how that is going; “Going into our third season, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved so far. On the pitch, the teams’ successes speak for themselves but off the pitch, we’ve been having an impact too. We’ve regularly had over 100 spectators at Twerton Park, sometimes as high as 250, which for the women’s game at our level is really impressive. Our players are very generous with their time, not just at the end of games when they sign autographs and interact with young fans – we expect them to commit to attend at least two community events, either supporting sessions for young girls or attending schools to talk in assemblies.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of Wealthtime, our Founding partner who have been with us every step of the way and are our principal partner again for this season. Their commitment has enabled us to have a stable platform to build upon and we are very grateful for their continued support. Our other partner, Bath Spa University is again with us this season. One of our players works for them (GK Lu Thornton) and another one is going to study there. We’re looking forward to working with them to promote the game for women and girls, either as players or spectators. The women’s game at our level is quite precarious, and it cannot be underestimated how important the support of our partners is to enabling us to achieve our aims of being successful and sustainable.”

Patrick Mill, CEO of Wealthtime stated; “Our strapline at Wealthtime is ‘pursue potential together’ and so it’s really gratifying to see all that has been achieved by Bath City Women so far. As a company with our head office in Bath, we’re proud to be contributing to the club and to see the impact they’re having in our community. And of course, we’re immensely proud that our employee Tara Taylor is the women’s first team captain. We wish both teams every success for the season and will be encouraging our colleagues to cheer them on.”

Bath City Women First Team V Bitton Ladies in the 1st Round Qualifying of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup is at Twerton Park on Sunday 1st September. Kick off is at 2pm, Bath City season ticket holders and U16s get in for free, all other spectators only £3 entry, pay on the day.

Bath City Women Development Team v Wellington Wildcats in the league on Sunday 1st September at Peasedown St John Recreation Ground. Kick off 2pm, free entry for spectators.