COLCHESTER United’s brand new women’s team are proudly sitting at the top of the league, after an immaculate start to the season.
And head coach Luke Worley says promotion from Essex County Women’s Football League division two is the aim, as they look to go from strength to strength.
Colchester’s women’s team relaunched this summer, following a ten-year absence and have made a superb start to the campaign.
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They have won all five of their games so far, scoring more than 50 goals in the process.
Worley said: “In our league, the top two get automatically promoted and then the next two will play a play-off, to then get promoted.
“So we’ll hopeful of finishing in the top three to give ourselves a chance of getting that promotion to move up the leagues, which I think with the level of players we’ve got – we’ve got probably five players who have played at a much higher level and that’s really going to enhance our ability to do that.
“However, with all things, there may be injuries and because all of our players are either studying or working, there might be opportunities where they have to work so we’ve got that rotation there.
“But the biggest thing for me is for them to enjoy it.
“Within female football, the biggest drop off age is 17 or 18 and it’s great that we’ve got those involved and it’s great that they want to push on and carry on playing.
“We’re treating Colchester United women’s team as professional as possible, although starting at the bottom.
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“We’ve had the fantastic fortune of having the same sponsor as the men’s team, in the Workhorse Group.
“It allows our players not to have to fund anything on the training front or match fees, so the players can just turn up without having to worry about the financial side of it, which is a massive, massive help for teams.
“It’s normally self-funded, so we’re fortunate that the club are supporting us.”
Worley says he is enjoying being in charge of the Colchester United Women’s team, having been tasked with the role of helping to launch the new side.
“I’ve been coaching now since I was 22 and I’m now 40, so I’ve got a good bit of experience,” said Worley.
“I’ve mainly coached women’s and girls’ football.
“I spent five and a half years in America coaching, college level in San Francisco and club level and then I was at Loughborough University working there.
“I was fortunate enough to come back from America almost ten years ago now and get a position there, for a season.
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“I grew up in Suffolk so I moved back home and worked within teams within that area but also Eastern region, so I was fortunate enough to coach over at Wyndham Ladies with a gentleman called Alex Guy, who’s the head coach.
“Within my two and a half seasons, we were successful in two promotions and back-to-back Norfolk County Cup champions and were the first women’s team to win the County Cup, at Carrow Road.
“Our captain Cassie (Craddock-Ball) actually played under us there as well as her wife, who is also on the team so I kind of used my networking there to kind of bring those players in who live in Colchester and come and be a part of the team.”
Colchester United women’s team take on Frontiers Ladies in the BBC Essex County Cup first round on Sunday, 1.30pm kick-off.
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