Newcastle United have a women’s team to be proud of – that’s according to Newcastle United Women’s Football Club (NUWFC) Chairman Phil Eadon.
The Toon ladies are currently leading the pack, 6 points clear of Sheffield Wednesday in the Northern Combination League and last weekend recorded a 7-0 win over their Wakefield counterparts, with Stacey Crooks bagging a hat-trick.
Speaking to NUFCfans.co.uk, Eadon was full of praise for the players, who come from various backgounds.
He said:
“We have a solicitor, right the way to people working in factories, admin and sales roles. They have to juggle family commitments, work, college, university both training and playing commitments whilst also representing Newcastle United travelling all over the country, but if you’re good at football and you love it, it’s worth the effort.”
The club which has been in existence for 22 years has received a lack of recognition, despite being affiliated with NUFC and the players continue to battle against male mindsets that football is a man’s game.
Eadon says the reaction to the team’s form in the North East has been fairly mixed:
“It’s been a mixture of comments, pleased, frustrated, delighted, excited, and bemused. The biggest challenge we have is getting to the Newcastle fan and letting them know that we have a very good ladies football team and they are doing very well.”
“We have to raise our own money and funding to meet the obligations of running the team and pay for training, hiring facilities and travelling across the country.”
For the future, Eadon is hopeful that the team can continue with the good form with promotion in sight:
“The next step up is to play in the FA Women’s Premier League. There is a 10 team national league, and North/South leagues. We are looking to get back to the FAPL North.”
This weekend NUWFC play at Ponteland FC against Mossley Hills. The game is a 2pm kick-off.
You can listen to the extended interview with Phil Eadon in this weeks’ NUFCfans.co.uk podcast.
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