Weekly update of what has been happening at the club this week....
GILLS LADIES WIN DESPITE EARLY SCARE AGAINST IPSWICH
Gillingham Ladies welcomed Ipswich Town LFC to Chatham Town FC in the FA Women’s Premier League on Sunday, April 24. Manager Jack Wheeler made one change with captain Lauren Williams returning to the starting lineup. Gills Ladies produced a great come back to grab all three points after being two goals down early in the first half.
Gills Ladies started the game brightly but it was Ipswich that took the lead after the home side failed to clear the ball and the subsequent shot took a wicked deflection and landed in the back of the net. Five minutes later the away side doubled their lead. But on half an hour Gillingham pulled one goal back through Lauren Davis. It then only took five minutes into the second half for Gills Ladies to get their equaliser, this time through Kallie Balfour. Gills Ladies continued to push for the winning goal and it came in the last ten minutes through a sublime lob by Lydia Wills. The home side also had a fourth goal ruled as off side in the last few minutes of the match, the game ended 3-2 and Gills Ladies secured three valuable points.
Gills Ladies are next on the road to face Denham Utd LFC in the FA Women’s Premier League on Sunday, May 1. Good luck girls.
GILLINGHAM LADIES SOCIAL MEDIA GOAL OF THE SEASON VOTE
We have seen some terrific goals this season at Gillingham Ladies. Now though is the tough part, have your say in which goal you as our fans think is the best of the season. Watch the highlight video of our selected nominations and vote now by clicking here. Voting closes on 13 May.
OPPORTUNITY TO BE MATCH DAY MASCOTS FOR GILLS LADIES
The Kent Girls and Ladies League have joined forces with Gills Ladies to offer all affiliated clubs within the Kent Girls and Ladies League a unique opportunity to be Gills Ladies match day mascots.
We had the pleasure of welcoming Kings Hill Girls U9s to be match day mascots for our match against Ipswich LFC on Sunday. We are glad the girls enjoyed the experience and hope to see you all again soon.
If you would like your team to have the chance to experience this fantastic opportunity next season please contact Jenny Wallbank, gillsladiesfc@hotmail.com or for more information on this opportunity please click here.
GILLS LADIES NEXT FIXTURES
Sunday, May 1 (kick off 2pm) – Denham Utd LFC – FA WPL South East Division (Away)
Wednesday, May 4 (kick off 8pm) – Enfield Town LFC – FA WPL South East Division (Home)
Wednesday, May 11 (kick off 8pm) – Old Actonians LFC – FA WPL South East Division (Home)
For full fixture list please click here.
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
With the restructuring of the current girls’ England talent pathway clubs were invited to apply for Regional Talent Club (RTC) licence status for 2016-2017. RTCs will replace the current Centre of Excellence and Player Development Centre model and will deliver enhanced coaching and support, designed to further enhance the development of elite female players. Full details regarding our trials will be made available shortly.
Good luck to U17s keeper, Katie Startup who joins up with her England teammates today as they head off to Belarus to compete in the final stages of the Women U17 UEFA Finals, good luck to the squad.
Before heading off Katie attended Larkfield Ladies to put on a training session for their young goalkeepers and help inspire the next generation, click here to find out more.
This week our U17s attended a full training session with the Ladies as they continue to make the step up to the Adult game and put in some impressive displays and we look forward to seeing them progress.
GIRLS ACADEMY
Congratulations to our Girls Academy Squad who were victorious at a recent College and University Tournament held at AFC Wimbledon this week. The squad played some fantastic football and we a real credit to the club, well done girls and to read all about the action click here.
FEMALE FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT
This week the Community Trust team have been visiting local Primary Schools to deliver free taster sessions for girls. Joined by Academy players and Gills youngsters the aim was to encourage a new generation of players to get involved in football and sport in general. It was a great success with one school wanting to start their own team as the girls enjoyed it so much.
To find out more about all our female specific activities please contact Female Football Development Officer, Georgia Bowie, gbowie@priestfield.com or 01634 350125.