Welcome to the Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s FA Women’s Championship game v Durham Wildcats.
Here is your complimentary e-programme.
CONTENTS
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Fran’s Early Mother’s Day Treat
Today’s charity: Oasis Project
This season’s fixtures at the Dripping Pan
FILMING AT MATCHESToday there may be film crews in the ground, filming on behalf of Lewes Football Club and other media organisations. The filming is usually for Lewes FC marketing purposes, to show what a matchday looks/sounds like and to generally promote what we do. There may also be film crews from media organisations who will use their footage in news reports, and crews for a documentary about Lewes FC Women, Reds. Lewes Football Club respectfully asks for your permission to be filmed. If you do not want to be filmed, please let the crew know directly and they will oblige.Thanks for your cooperation in helping to build a successful club.
SUPPORTER OF THE MATCH
A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
Lewes Mayor Janet Baah is inviting all of you to this Sunday’s Mothers Day match at the Dripping Pan, when Lewes take on Durham in the FA Women’s Championship (Noon KO). The first 100 mums in get a free chocolate, courtesy of Bonne Bouche and the child who wins the best Mothers Day card making competition will go home with an amazing bouquet for their mum, thanks to Go Botanica at Lewes station.
PLAYLIST
LEAGUE TABLE
FRAN ALONSO
Lewes manager Fran Alonso welcomes the players, staff and supporters of Durham to the Dripping Pan for this FA Women’s Championship clash.
“Hello and welcome to the Dripping Pan for this important league game against one of the in-form teams in the division.
Before the start of the season many people thought Durham would be one of the favourites for the title. They have not disappointed, being the only team in the league so far to take points from Manchester United.
We know that Durham can play different styles; combinative football, complicated, passing movement, but also direct. They have several excellent players in key positions.
I’m very happy with how the Lewes squad has improved and started to play in recent weeks. Yes, we had a tough week this week, with several players out through illness. As always, this creates chances for others.
The atmosphere you fans create at our matches is second to none. The staff and the players really appreciate it, so thanks to everyone behind the scenes who works so hard to make match days here a lot of fun for home and away fans.
Last but not least, today is Mother’s Day. I’d like to wish all the Mums a wonderful day today, and i hope your families spoil you rotten. From our side, we hope to provide some competitive and entertaining football.”
Come On You Rooks!
Fran
THE ROOKS
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Katie Rood – Sponsorship Available
Charley Boswell sponsored by Sarah Metcalfe & Jane Roberts
CHAIRMAN’S NOTES
Good afternoon and welcome to the Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s Women’s Championship game against Durham. I’d like to welcome the fans, players, management and officials from Durham and hope their long journey home is problem-free.
It has been two weeks since our last outing when we recorded a comfortable victory over Millwall Lionesses here at The Pan. It wasn’t just the goals that were pleasing, especially Char Owen’s strike, but we kept a clean sheet. Speak to any manager and they will tell you that if you don’t concede there’s a very good chance you will win. Faye has been outstanding so far this season and it is also great seeing Nina on the top of her game at the during her recent loan spell at Chichester City.
Last week’s two games in the division were important in shaping what could be the final league table. Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Charlton Athletic saw them take a huge step towards promotion and potentially the Championship title, whilst Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat at home to Sheffield United means the race for that second promotion spot is still open with two clubs, including our visitors this afternoon, looking hungry. It’s clear that there are more twists and turns still to navigate before the end of the season.
We’ve now had confirmation, although for the third different time, that the season will end on Saturday 11th May with all games kicking off at 5.30pm. We will be visiting Manchester United, and although there had been rumours that they may be able to finish the season with a game at Old Trafford, it has now been confirmed that we will be playing at their regular home ground, Leigh Sporting Village.
It is disappointing that they’ve not had the opportunity to play at Old Trafford. In the last few weeks two domestic games in Spain and Italy respectively, have shown the huge opportunity there is for the Women’s game. Atletico Madrid took on Barcelona at the sold-out 60,739 capacity Wando Metropolitan stadium whilst last weekend Juventus beat Fiorentina in front of 39,000 in the Allianz Stadium in Turin. I’d really like to see the Football Association push for clubs to play at least a couple of games in the Men’s first team stadium per season. So far we’ve seen Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa have played such games, whilst Durham, London Bees and obviously, ourselves, don’t have that issue. So that leaves five other teams who haven’t yet. I thought Tottenham Hotspur may take the opportunity to hold a lower capacity, test event at their new stadium for their Ladies’ side, rather than an Under18s game and a Legends match.
The headline story in the Women’s game this week has been Yeovil Town’s decision to file for administration, which will almost certainly see them relegated from the Super League after the mandatory 10-point penalty. There’s a couple of aspects to this situation that disturb me. Firstly, Yeovil’s financial situation isn’t something new – last summer in the run up to the launch of the new Women’s Super League the club launched a crowd-funding exercise, which only raised a fraction of what they were looking for. Secondly, it probably doesn’t help that they play at Dorchester Town, 20 miles from Huish Park, home of parent club. Again, one sure way to build a fan base is to play were the club is located.
Certainly, from our own experience this season we know the step up in financial commitments. Ee’ve also seen the huge opportunity to build our fan base, working with local communities and groups in and around Lewes. Our average attendance has risen from around 60 two seasons ago to over 600 this season. Huge respect has to go to Charlie and Karen Dobres for their tireless work in this area along with our Marketing Manager, Rosy.
Enjoy this afternoon’s game, get behind the team and
Come on you Rooks!
Stuart
Twitter: @theballisround
TODAY’S OPPONENTS
Durham WFC were formed in 2014 as a merger between South Durham & Cestria Girls and Durham University, competing in their first ever Women’s Super League season during 2014.
Cestria was founded during 2006 by Lee Sanders and the North East side became perennial achievers in the women’s game. The girls played teams as far-reaching as Portugal, Ghana and America before winning the prestigious World Peace Cup in Oslo in 2010. A year later, they finished runners-up at the Gothia World Youth Cup.
Their first season as a senior football side finished in a Northern Women’s Combination League trophy before the merger came about with Sanders and Quentin Sloper, head of sport at Durham University, heading up the idea.
This led to the Wildcats competing in their first WSL2 campaign during 2014. The side took a while to find their feet but finished strongly and eventually finished 6th, a magnificent achievement for a side formed just months before the League began.
A successful second season followed with Durham finishing 7th despite an injury-ravaged campaign, giving the Wildcats plenty of confidence heading into 2016.
And that confidence was well-founded, with Durham enjoying their most successful season to date in their third year. A fourth-placed finish in FA WSL 2 represented the club’s best ever league finish, with the Wildcats well in the promotion hunt until the end of the season. Records were broken off the field, too, with crowds flocking to New Ferens Park across the season.
This laid the foundations for the one-off FA WSL Spring Series. With the vast majority of the squad retained, the side were looking forward with optimism into 2017.
A fifth place finished followed in the Spring Series as the club continued to develop both on and off the pitch. And that growth was rewarded at the 2017 FA Women’s Football Awards, where the Wildcats were awarded the prestigious FA Women’s Super League 2 Club of the Year prize for their excellent progress as a club.
THE SQUAD
LAST TIME WE MET
FA Women’s Championship
Durham 5 – 0 Lewes
MATCHDAY POSTER
Inspirational Woman: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Born Elizabeth Moulton-Barrett on 6 March 1806 in Kelloe, just South-East of Durham itself, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote some of this country’s most beloved poetry. Despite living her life with crippling illness, from the age of just 15, she produced the most stunning romantic poetry, probably most notably her Sonnet 42 How Do I Love Thee? She was also a social campaigner, arguing for the abolition of slavery and working to reform child labour laws. Unfortunately, her marriage to Robert Browning, in 1846, was not approved by her father and the Barrett Brownings moved to Italy that same year. She almost certainly should have been the UK’s first-ever female Poet Laureate, after the death of Wordsworth in 1850, but that gig went instead to Tennyson. She died in Florence in 1861.
(Featured Lewes FC player: Shannon Moloney)
Buy the poster in our online Club Shop
PREVIOUS MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Here are the highlights from our most recent game against Millwall Lionesses. If you’ve not seen these yet, worth tuning in for Charlotte Owen’s wonder-strike two minutes from time!
MATCH ACTION
Photos from our recent game against Millwall Lionesses taken by James Boyes.
Lewes 2 – 0 Millwall Lionesses
FRAN’S EARLY MOTHER’S DAY TREAT
Early Mother’s Day Treat for Manager’s Mum as Lewes Women cruise to victory.
By Caspar Jayasekera
The Manager of Lewes FC Women, Fran Alonso, said the victory against Millwall Lionesses was an early Mother’s day present for his mum.
Mila Alonso and Fran Alonso Senior made the 750 mile journey from Madrid to watch their son’s team win 2-0 again Millwall. It was the third win against the Lionesses this season.
Fran said the support of Fran Sr. and Mila proved invaluable to the team in the FA Women’s Championship fixture and added that his teams always performed well when his family came to watch.
‘Since I have been in the professional game, my parents have been to five games, with former teams Southampton and Everton, and we’ve always won, so I think I’ll buy them plane tickets more often!’
Mila and Fran Sr. certainly brought the sunshine with them to The Dripping Pan and had a first-class view of the match from one of Lewes FC’s hospitality beach huts
Mila said ‘We were speaking to Fran after a couple of defeats and he seemed quite down, so we came to support him and show him that we believed in him and his mission here at Lewes. Now he’s winning, he’s much more confident and elevated!’
Fran Sr. admitted he had concerns when Fran quit his steady job in Spain in order to work in football. He said: ‘Fran left a very good job in the council to start working in football and I was upset at first, but Mila said we need to give him wings to pursue his passion.’
Football has always been in the Alonso family. Fran Sr. or ‘El Tota’ as they would call him on the pitch, played throughout his life and only recently as a 70-year-old has he had to stop for fear of injury. He’d started Fran on the footballing path early too, taking him to watch their beloved Real Madrid when he was a little boy. Now Fran Sr. can enjoy football with his family in a very different way; watching the beautiful game with his son at the helm of Lewes FC Women.
Lewes FC is still the only club in the world to offer equal pay to its men’s and women’s teams and Fran’s parents both agree that Lewes FC’s push for Equality in Football is setting an example for the world, now that women are fighting for equal treatment in every area of life. Fran is passionate about making a difference, so they’re delighted to see him so happy in a club that is a good fit for him.
Fran said his parents were enchanted with Lewes and the club: ‘They love the town and the community. They were emotional after the game because they loved the atmosphere and the band that helped us win. Moving from the Premier League to Lewes FC Women was a hard decision for them to understand, but their research on the beliefs and values, and equality message of the club means they are so proud of me. My sister played football as a girl so women’s football has always been a part of my family’.
Fran Sr. and Mila said they loved being with Fran and will be sad to leave so soon, but a life in retirement means they’ll definitely be coming back to celebrate another victory with the Lewes FC family.
Fran will certainly be thinking of his mum today
and hopes he will be able to offer her yet another win on this special day!
YOUTH UPDATE
LEWES FC GIRLS U16
SUSSEX COUNTY WOMEN’S & GIRLS FOOTBALL LEAGUE FINALISTS
Lewes U16s 6 : 3 Mile Oak Wanderers U16s
The young Rooks eased into the final of the League Cup with a dominant albeit lethargic 6-3 win over the now familiar opponents Mile Oak Wanderers.
Match Action:
Twitter: @LewesFCGirlsU16
TODAY’S CHARITY: OASIS PROJECT
EARTHQUAKE
Today we are really lucky to have EarthQuake back at the Dripping Pan to play at Lewes FC Women. They were with us at our previous home game against Leicester City and it’s great to have them back.
You can find them on Facebook here.
MUMS R US!
Suzie Pitman, Manager of Lewes Mumpreneurs, with her Mum Gill Hughes and son Justin, waiting for first 100 Mums through turnstiles.
Suzie says:
“I am Lewes Group Manager of the Mumprenuer Networking club. We absolutely support what The Lewes FC are doing for Women’s football.
It dovetails our ethos.
Mumprenuers is all about empowering women to be successful in business which is exactly what Lewes Community Football club is doing for their female players. A huge endorsement that Lewes FC does not underestimate the power of their female players. This why we became share holders (owners!) too. I am proud to be part of this amazing community.”
SPONSOR A LEWES FC PLAYER
THIS SEASON’S REMAINING FIXTURES
Sunday 21st April – 2PM – AWAY
Aston Villa (FAWC)
Sunday 28th April – 1PM – HOME
Sheffield United Women (FAWC)
Sunday 12th April – 12PM – AWAY
Manchester United (FAWC)
TODAY’S TEAMS
ROOKS
| 01 | Faye BAKER |
| 02 | Ella NEWMAN |
| 12 | Charlie BOSWELL |
| 04 | Kate McINTYRE (C) |
| 18 | Rosie PAYE |
| 07 | Samantha QUAYLE |
| 08 | Leeta RUTHERFORD |
| 22 | Katie ROOD |
| 14 | Sarah KEMPSON |
| 19 | Danielle LANE |
| 30 | Jess KING |
| SUBS | |
| 13 | Nina Wilson |
| 06 | Shannon MOLONEY |
| 10 | Charlotte OWEN |
| 03 | Sophie PERRY |
| 20 | Sophie O’ROURKE |
WILDCATS
| 01 | Hannah REID |
| 11 | Hannah GREENWOOD |
| 06 | Sarah ROBSON |
| 04 | Lisa ROBERTSON |
| 16 | Ellie CHRISTON |
| 05 | Sarah WILSON (C) |
| 22 | Abi COTTAM |
| 09 | Nicki GEARS |
| 17 | Emily ROBERTS |
| 02 | Kathryn HILL |
| 07 | Beth HEPPLE |
| SUBS | |
| 13 | Megan BORTHWICK |
| 20 | Chloe RYAN |
| 21 | Megan ELLIOTT |
CREDITS AND LEGAL INFO
The FA Women’s Championship strongly supports recent FA statements that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly, any form of discriminatory abuse, whether it be based on race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, faith, age, ability or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association. (The FA 0800 085 0508/Kick It Out 020 7253 0162)
Lewes 2000 FC Limited. Registered in England and Wales with Company Registration Number 03790979.
Honorary President Terry Parris
Chairman Stuart Fuller
Directors
Charlie Dobres, Eddie Ramsden, Stuart Fuller, John Peel, Barry Collins, Ed Briggs, Jon Ruben, Roger Warner, Galia Omre
Club Secretary Barry Collins
Operations Manager Duncan Thompson
Life Members
Mr and Mrs Brook, Vic Blunt, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox, Billy Nixon, Derrick Parris, Terry Parris, Jimmy Quinn, P. Swaysland, Steve Ibbitson, Jason Hopkinson, Steve White, Martin Elliot, Kevin Fingerneissl, Kevin Powell, David and Barbara Arnold, Roger and Cathy Feltham, Ethel Treagus, Roy Dartnell RIP, Ron Moore, Derek Southouse, Ray Smith, Ken Carter.
General Manager Jack Heaselden
Development/Marketing Manager Rosy Matheson
Equality FC Campaign Manager Karen Dobres
Women’s Manager Fran Alonso
Assistant Manager Simon Parker
Goalkeeping Coach TBC
Physiotherapist Becky Cunningham
S & C Coaches
Kit Wrangler Joe Gander
DS Manager Zak Dove
DS Coach Alan Dove
FS Manager Kelly Newton
FS Coaches Charlotte Bennett, Greg Cross
Web Editor Stuart Fuller
Progcast Editor Aidan Hother
Progcast content team Ash Head, James Boyes
Progcast designer Barry Collins
Club Photographer James Boyes