Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s FA Women’s National League South game against Real Bedford.

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Lewes FC Women 2025/26

Hello and welcome to the Dripping Pan for our second home game of the 25/26 season!

The Rooks will be playing recently promoted Real Bedford.

Real Bedford started their season well, beating AFC Wimbledon 2-1 at the first game of the season. They did, however, lose at home 4-1 to Cheltenham in their most recent game. Last Sunday, Lewes FC travelled to Exeter City, winning 2-1 and taking all three points home. Our first league win, and our first away win since Watford last season. We are currently third in the table.

NOTES FROM THE BOARD

The warmest of welcomes to everyone at the Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s game. An especially warm welcome to the players, staff, officials and supporters of Real Bedford who are making their first competitive visit to the Pan.

There is a very vibrant buzz about the club at the moment as both our teams have made encouraging starts to their seasons.

Our Women’s team, despite having a truncated pre season, got the season off to a solid start with an evenly contested draw against Watford. The team then spent a week on the road netting maximum points from games against Fulham and Exeter. There was firm evidence that we are starting to see the team gel and take on board the systems of play that Emma wants. I predict we are going to see some great football at the Pan this season.

In addition to the brilliant results, the support from the travelling Rooks fans was absolutely fantastic. Thank you to all of you who made the journey.

Therefore all in all it has been a great start to the season that gives us a foundation to build from.

I hope that we can also build our supporter base from this encouraging start. The Dripping Pan rocks when the terraces and stands are filled with enthusiastic supporters as we have witnessed so many times in the past.

Lets all pull together and try and get as many fans as possible to the Pan, give the team the support it truly deserves and be that 12th Woman

Come on You Rooks

Trevor Wells, Chairman

Today, mapped out!

Meet Annie Rolf

Midfielder Annie Rolf has recently joined Lewes FC from Championship side Portsmouth. The country music fan grew up a Manchester United Supporter, idolising Rooney, Beckham and Scholes and outside of football enjoys walking her dog, Willow. She has played in the US college system, returning to the UK a few years ago, and has played all over the pitch, recently playing right back as well as her usual box-to-box midfielder position. 

1. How did you come to start playing football? I started playing football at the age of 5 with one of my best friends in the garden. It wasn’t long until we joined our local boys team where we stayed until 10. I then went on to play for a girls grassroots team before joining Brighton’s Center of Excellence. From there, I went out to America for 4 and a half years on a scholarship and lived in 3 different states.

2. What was it like playing in the USA, and how does the sport differ compared to here? The main thing I noticed about the playing style in America is that they are very direct and like to get up the pitch as quickly as possible. In England we like to possess the ball and gain territory whereas Americans love to get forward quickly. This was an adjustment for me at first but adding the English style of play into the American style of play balanced it out quite nicely. 

3. What was the first club you supported? I have always been a Manchester United supporter (I say gritting my teeth!) but my dad got a Brighton season ticket back in 2011 where I used to go with him, so now I confidently say that I support both teams.  I grew up loving all the United legends (Rooney, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes) but recently I’ve really enjoyed watching Kevin De Bruyne. 

4.  What are your expectations for playing for Lewes FC? And what drew you to the club in the first place? I think that Lewes have an amazing reputation within the women’s football community. They want to get back to the professional league and they have a roadmap of how to make that happen. It’s the perfect balance of enjoying the game whilst striving to be the best team we can possibly be. Every week we get better and that’s through the team environment we have here. The fan base here is also amazing and the support that they give for the women’s team is one that I’m not sure you’d get elsewhere. 

5. What are your hopes and aspirations for the season? My aspirations this season are to be able to get back to playing as confidently and consistently as I possibly can. I want to be in the best position to help ensure that I can give 100% for the team and for the community who support us week in, week out. 

6. Where do you hope Lewes will strengthen this season? To be honest it feels like each week we get stronger as a team so I think just continuing to have that whilst making sure we put ourselves in the best position to compete at the highest level we can. 

7. What is the highlight of your football career so far?The recent highlight of my football career has been seeing the impact women’s football has had on the younger generation. Within the last year the amount of children coming out to our games has doubled and hearing parents say you inspire their kids is a feeling you’ll never be able to describe as we were those kids once! 

8. What do you like most about Lewes? Between the cute little town and the football stadium itself I would say the community Lewes has and the way that the football club brings that community together. 

Why the Eye?

“What a beautiful ground!” we hear you cry as you walk into our historic stadium. “The state of the art pitch, the rolling South Downs in the near distance, the gardens, the old flint wall, the warm welcome, but… hang on a second! What is that? What is that great big… eye? Over there in the far-right corner. There’s a massive blue, eye-lashed eye with red eyeshadow on it. What’s that doing at a football club?”

Great question… and we’re happy to answer.

The eye is the pop art symbol designed by local feminist artist Charlotte Colbert, of our ‘See Us As We Are’ campaign. Lewes FC is a unique football club, uniting profit with purpose and seeking to use football for social change. When, in 2017, we became the first club in the world (pro or semi-pro) to split resources equally between our men’s and women’s teams, we started to campaign to raise awareness of gender inequalities within the male bastion of football.

So, in 2024/25 we are drawing attention to the fact that women are not small men. Women footballers are women playing football. They need boots and equipment made for women; they need a league structure that helps ALL women footballers; and their fans want a stadium experience that is different from men’s games.

Our eye is a portal, as imagined by the artist, through which to envision a new utopia. A world in which we can see through both the male gaze AND the female lens, and not allow one to dominate the other. Enjoy the view!!

LEWES FC SQUAD LIST

• 1 Emily Moore
• 2 Becca Teale
• 3 Maddie Brant
• 4 Sydney Schreimaier
• 5 Layla Banaras
• 6 Hannah Godfrey
• 7 Kayla Ginger
• 8 Annie Rolf
• 9 Chelsea Ferguson
• 10 Liv Carpenter
• 11 Ella Newman
• 13 Rebekah Trewhitt
• 14 Paula Howells
• 15 Danielle Rowe
• 16 Sarah Harvey
• 18 Lois Roche
• 20 Taylor Bell
• 21 Katie Gilligan
• 23 Ylenia Priest
• 24 Lois Edwards
• 77 Leah Lane

Manager Emma Byrne
GK Coach and Analyst Leah Samain
Sports Therapist Joshua Essex
Performance Coach Daniella Da Silva
Head of Women’s Football Lynne Burrell
Fan Engagement Manager Shrey Nilvarna
Performance Lead Ivi Casagrande

REAL BEDFORD FC SQUAD LIST

• Scarlett Aladetoyinbo Williams
• Abbie Bensted
• Gemma Biggadike
• Issy Bryant
• Sophie Byrom
• Sofia Casaubon Stovold
• Jessica Evans
• Amber Gaylor
• Tricia Hannah Gould
• Breon Grant
• Milly Hayes
• Amelie Le-Tallec
• Chloe Logie
• Erica Meale
• Chiara Meola
• Leyla O’Brien
• Millie Pullen
• Lucy Wood
• Rhianne Rush
• Nicola Puddick
• Rubie Smith
• Chloe Tambula
• Hannah Warren

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee – Nicholas Monkman

Assistant Referee 1 – Gulam Damji

Assistant Referee 2 – Dan Boulden

2025/26 FA Women’s National League South

FILMING AT TODAY’S GAME

Today 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 match day looks/sounds like and to generally promote what we do. 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.

CREDITS AND LEGAL

The FA Women’s National League South 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. Lewes 2000 FC Limited is 100% owned by Lewes Community Football Club.

Honorary President Terry Parris
Chair Trevor Wells
Directors Ben Hall, John Peel, Stan Lahood, Tom McJennett, Joe Short, Steve Watts, Trevor Wells.

Life Members
Peter Brook, Dorothy Brook RIP, Vic Blunt RIP, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox RIP, Billy Nixon, Derrick Parris RIP, 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 RIP

Manager Emma Byrne
GK Coach and Analyst Manager Leah Samain
Head of Women’s Football Lynne Burrell

COO Kelly Lindsey
Fan Engagement & Operations Shrey Nilvarna
Facilities Manager Damien Watts

Golden Rook Rob Read

Web Editors Shrey Nilvarna
Progcast Editors Clare Boden
Club Photographer James Boyes & Cecily