Nottingham has always been a footballing city. It boasts the oldest professional football club in the world, Notts County FC (founded in 1862) who famously supplied Juventus FC with their black and white kit, and Nottingham Forest FC who previously won Division 1 in 1978 and the European Cup twice, in 1979 and 1980. Thirty years later, Nottingham is still dining out on former glories with little silverware to show for in this century. It has been a long wait, but Nottingham finally has a football club in the top flight again – Notts County Ladies FC.
Formerly the Lincoln Ladies FC, the club moved to Britain’s first City of Football in early 2014 and affiliated itself with Notts County FC, becoming Nottingham’s first professional women’s team. The Lady Pies, as they are lovingly nicknamed, play in the Women’s Super League 1 (WSL1), the premier league of women’s football, which consists of eight teams in total. The WSL1 spans from April to October, boasts two cup competitions (FA and Continental) and clubs also participate in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. With the addition of the WSL2 earlier this year, clubs for the first time faced the threat of relegation, adding to the growing professionalism of the WSL.
The club started its maiden season undefeated in all competitions for a month
Despite clubs playing top-flight football and being affiliated with men’s teams, most of the players in the WSL1 are still playing semi-professionally. Many players juggle training sessions and jobs, all the while competing against fully professional players on the field. Encouragingly, with every edition of the WSL the number of players going professional increases, with some clubs like Manchester City Women, Liverpool Ladies and Notts County Ladies training full time. The increase in funding, coverage and stability of the WSL has lured many international players to English clubs. Arsenal and Chelsea can boast having World Cup winners on their rosters with Japanese players Yukari Kinga, Shinobu Ohno and Yuki Ogimi respectively. Bristol Academy have a large contingent of talented Spanish nationals and Notts County could snare Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Desiree Scott along with players from the Australian and New Zealand national teams.
With the signings of foreign players alongside England internationals such as Ellen White, Jess Clarke and Carly Telford, Notts County immediately tried to compete with best in their inaugural season in the WSL1.
The club started its maiden season well despite the loss of England striker Ellen White to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. They went undefeated in all competitions for a month until Everton Ladies FC broke their hearts in the FA Cup semifinals winning 2-1. The Lady Pies or ‘Notts CounTIE’ as they were called by their fans after multiple ties or draws in the league, continued their good cup form in the Continental Cup winning their matches to find themselves facing Arsenal Ladies FC in the semis. With the loss of both captain Sophie Bradley and Anna Green to ACL injuries, Notts County’s form plummeted. They drew two matches, lost four and rising star Dunia Susi, whose goals had been vital for County, went down injured with an MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) tear. To add to the dismal run of league form, the Lady Pies also lost their Continental Cup semi final against Arsenal LFC.
With the season coming to a close, supporters and players alike were desperate to end their campaign on a high note. The return of Dunia Susi from injury sparked a Notts County comeback, which would see them end on an unbeaten streak. Notts County rallied and managed three wins and a thrilling season finale draw against Birmingham LFC which saw the Brum side lose out on the title and the Lady Pies finish 6th in the table out of the eight teams.
Despite finishing in the lower end of the table, Notts County players Jess Clarke and Dunia Susi got nominations for FA WSL Player of the Year and FA WSL Best Goal of the Year respectively.
Offseason Roundup
With the WSL1 season over, it’s officially ‘offseason’ time for Notts County Ladies. Most players will join up with their national teams or continue to play in other leagues overseas.
England nationals Carly Telford and Jess Clarke look likely to feature in the Lionesses Wembley debut against Germany this Sunday (23 November) in front of a record breaking crowd of 55,000
England nationals Carly Telford and Jess Clarke look likely to feature in the Lionesses Wembley debut against Germany this Sunday (23 November) in front of a record breaking crowd of 55,000 (unfortunately tickets were capped by the FA due to public transport being inhibited by ongoing works).
England youngsters Aileen Whelan and Amy Turner got called up to the U-23 Lionesses game against Poland. Turner captained the side and since then has received the call-up to the senior side. 17-year-old Ashley Plumptre who featured in a handful of County games, also recently played for England in the U-17 team scoring two goals against Moldova.
New Zealander Katie Hoyle and her national team qualified for the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, by winning their Oceania Women’s Nation Cup.
Rachel Corsie starred for Scotland as they tried to qualify for the World Cup, but they succumbed to the Netherlands and will not feature in Canada 2015.
Canadian Desiree Scott is back in Canada and played in a friendly against 2011 World Cup winners Japan, and is set to play in two more friendlies against Sweden later in the year.
Forward Caitlin Friend and Midfielder Katie Holtham both have joined clubs in Australia playing in the Westfield W-League. Friend signed with the Melbourne Victory and Holtham has joined Adelaide United.
Impact Sport interviewee Sophie Walton is back at the helm of her model agency SW1 Model Management.
Fabiola Kaiser
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Images courtesy of Drew Smith Photography
