We are thrilled that after a culmination of dedication and hard work, Leeds Ladies FC has now been re-integrated into Leeds United under the name of Leeds United Ladies FC. Andrea Radrizzani has shown that he has a clear vision for the club and that vision includes having a female football team which the city can be proud of. We are very excited to get started and the ladies are very much looking forward towards getting back to training after the break.
Lewis ‘Muggy’ Atkinson 1st team manager had this to say.
“I am delighted to be a part of this new and exciting chapter in the shape of Leeds United Ladies. Our aim is to continue working hard on the pitch and to be a competitive force in the WPL. Our current focus is to add the kind of quality who will work hard to push the team back up the women's football pyramid and represent the famous white shirt with pride.
I am personally excited to be part of such a historic footballing tradition and a great club. My focus now returns to pre-season and recruitment to ensure we are challenging from the first kick off in August”.

We would like to thank our players, staff, parents and supporters for being with us every step of the way and we hope to see you all very soon when we step out wearing that famous white shirt once more.

LEEDS UNITED LADIES ARE BACK

Women’s team returns.

Leeds Ladies have successfully completed their move to become Leeds United Ladies for the upcoming season and beyond. 

The side, who play in the Women’s Premier League Northern Division One, have joined forces with the Whites again and will play their home games at Garforth Town, as well as two fixtures per season at Elland Road.

Leeds United Ladies first team will train at Thorp Arch and wear the same kit as the men’s first team.

Leeds United Managing Director Angus Kinnear said: “We are pleased to welcome Leeds United Ladies back into our family, the women’s game is growing in popularity and rightly so, there are some very talented female players in this region and across the country.

“It is important that the club is represented in the leagues and we hope this move will encourage more young girls to get involved in football.”

Lee Townend, Chairman of Leeds United Ladies, commented: “I am so proud to be part of the re-integration of Leeds Ladies into Leeds United.

“A unified Leeds Ladies team means that not only does the city have a women’s team who will represent them and wear the badge with pride but a team which girls and the young female football players of Leeds can look up to and emulate.

“I am looking forward to working closely with Angus and the team of directors over the coming seasons to realise the vision of Leeds United Ladies FC. We thank our committee along with Andrea and the team at LUFC for working hard to make this happen.”   

Leeds United Ladies will be holding open trials on the 1^st and 2^nd of July for senior (open age) at 12.30pm and an open day for juniors aged 13+ is 1^st and 2^nd July at 9.00am, both being held at Batley Sports and Tennis Centre.

Our bright whites

At the beginning of the 2015 season, we introduced an under 16’s squad which played in the West Ridings girls league. In that 1st season, they not only won the league but they lifted the cup and the debutants had completed their double.

In the 2016-2017 season, we increased our junior set up to include under 15’s. Both teams this season have been outstanding. They have been ambassadors for girl’s football showing that team spirit, resilience and ambition are the driving force behind a successful team. The desire to play for one another is unsurpassed.

Another driving force behind these teams is their respective coaches. Michael Heppleston has been an inspiration on and off the field. He is the head coach at Thackley as well as head of our junior set-up. He is a father and when he has the time he runs tough mudders to raise money for charity. He is not only a great coach but a great role model. Michael said “I am really proud of the 16's for a lot of reasons, they have desire, determination and heart. Most importantly they always supported one another and the team spirit is like no other I've ever witnessed. The perfect end to a season with a massively deserved cup final win, something I will never forget. Thank you, girls, you've been superstars”.

Ben Peters is a young man who loves football. He is a coach at Leeds United Foundation as well as the coach of our under 15’s squad. Ben has led a brand new team and achieved great results in a very short time.  “Words can't describe how happy and proud I am. What a team! Everybody at the club should be really proud of what we have achieved, as a team working together. The hard work and application showed all season has massively paid off. The opposition we have faced this season has been great on and off the pitch and a real pleasure to play against. Last but not least, my girls! Thank you for an unbelievable season, it's been absolutely awesome and It proves that when you work as a solid team and support each other anything is possible”.

Leeds Ladies under 16’s lost just 3 games this season and lost out on the league title to an outstanding Castleford White Rose team. Revenge was theirs when they met Castleford in the league cup final. Earlier on in May at Wetherby, the girls ran out 2-3 winners in a terrifically hard fought win. Leeds were very much on top and were 0-2 up after 12 minutes. Castleford pulled a goal back before half-time. Leeds hung on to their lead until 10 minutes before the final whistle when Castleford struck a shot which sent the game into extra time. The next 20 minutes or so were the most nerve racking the girls had experienced as a team. Castleford fired wide, Ash Storey cleared off the line and with 10 minutes to go Molly Bridson scored. Leeds played out the remaining minutes whilst onlookers had their hearts in their mouths. The final whistle was music to the ears of Michael and his team of fearless young women and Leeds had retained the cup.

Leeds Ladies under 15’s also reached the league cup final. They played a game which showed nerves that hadn’t been seen during the season and went behind to an early goal. The girls found it difficult to regain composure and could not convert the chances which they created. Ben calmed their nerves at halftime and the second half saw a more confident performance by the girls. Leeds pulled a goal back and with the rallying cry of Captain Belle Sibbald ringing in their ears the girls threw everything they had at the game. It just wasn’t their day and almost with the last kick of the game Wigton ran out 4-2 winners.

This would not be the story of their season as Leeds and Wigton had been fighting a very close battle in the league. With nothing between them at the end of the season, it came down to a playoff to decide who would win the league. Wigton was unfortunate enough to come up against a Leeds team who were not going to settle for anything less than a win. Wigton was difficult to break down and the score was 1-0 thanks to a Hollie Gordon strike going into the break.In the second half, a brace from Emily Sykes and a fourth goal netted by Megan Smith put the game beyond the reach of Wigton and Leeds had secured the league win at their first attempt.

This has been a hugely successful season for Leeds Ladies Juniors. Chairman Lee Townend said “I could not be prouder of the young women and girls who make up our junior squads. I am pleased to be able to play a part in their progression to senior 1st team football and know that they have a very bright future ahead of them. I would like to say huge thanks to Michael and Ben supported by Amanda Bell, ex-Leeds United Ladies and coach Anthony Taylor who have dedicated their time to nurture the talent of these girls and to mould them into a squad of successful players”.

Next season we will be adding under 14’s to our club. Our open day is being held at Batley Sports and Tennis Centre on 1^st and 2^nd July from 9am. All players must have registered beforehand at leedsladies.juniorsecretary@hotmail.com

We are looking forward to welcoming new players and to meeting girls who are as passionate about playing football as our existing juniors.

Leeds Ladies learned of the irregularities surrounding the finances of the club under the leadership of the former committee. When these discoveries were made, the FA were informed immediately and West Yorkshire Police became involved. The vote of no confidence and subsequent takeover by the current committee were a direct response to these discoveries. West Yorkshire Police have been investigating the financial control of Leeds Ladies FC through the previous committee and these arrests were made based on their findings.

Leeds Ladies FC would like to make it very clear that the individuals arrested have no current or future involvement with the club.

The committee would like to reiterate its statement made on 29th March 2017.

The committee's current priorities moving forward is to instil transparency across all areas of the club, from financial to the club’s ambitions. Leeds Ladies FC wants to be very open and honest in its approach and in its leadership and has a very positive attitude towards the future of the club.

Leeds Ladies FC wishes to look to the future and are already excited about planning for the 2017-2018 FA WPL season.

Thank you for your continued support

Leeds Ladies FC would like to extend gratitude to all sponsors new and old, your support is the foundation of our clubs existence.

As a club that is embarking on new adventures under new leadership, we would very much like to hear the experiences and views of our sponsors and would urge anyone that has been part of the club over the past few years to contact us directly as we have not been made aware of who most of our sponsors are. As sponsors of the club, we would like to extend the courtesy of updating you on the clubs current position including reasons behind changes.

We would like everyone to be aware that the changes were absolutely necessary and without the new structure in place, the future of the club would have been jeopardised. Our focus always has been and always will be football; side before self. Leeds Ladies FC are dedicated to answering as many of your questions as possible so we can move forward as a club.

The current committee has made a very clear commitment to safeguarding the future of the club and to giving all members and stakeholders full transparency.

Please feel free to contact the club at:

Leedsladies.chairman@hotmail.com

Thank you for your support

We are thrilled to welcome Nigel Corner who will be an advisor to the committee.

Nigel brings with him a wealth of experience gained partly in his role as Managing director of Ladybird Daycare and up until recently, Nigel was the Chairman of Harrogate Railway.

Nigel is equally pleased to be joining us and had this to say. “After speaking with the new incoming infrastructure, I am excited to be a part of the new era and able to share my experience with Leeds Ladies FC! Along with my time, I am keen to assist the new committee in driving the club forward and achieving the success it deserves”.

Richard Storey-senior commercial manager.

This is first for me getting involved with the running of a football club, I'm currently a store manager for Morrisons and have 280 staff work for me.

My daughter Ash plays for the under 16’s. This is also rather new to her too as it's only her second season of ever playing football.

As a commercial manager, it will be my job to secure as much sponsorship as possible to see the club in a sound financial position for the long-term future of the club, I'm already in talks with companies about sponsorship deals and have enlisted a PR volunteer to help with this. I am very much looking forward to the coming season and believe we have a very bright future.
 

Adrian Sykes -Welfare Office 

I have had an 8-year involvement in grassroots football including currently being the voluntary media representative for the youth section. Prior to that I had a similar role at Hall Green United and prior to that I had 15 years service as a volunteer in the Scouts Association both as Scout, and Venture Scout leader.

I am passionate about ensuring that this team is as successful as it can be and believe I have a lot to offer. I have a background in IT and I am the Technical Manager of Phoenix Computers.

I have assisted so far in raising over £1200 of funds in the current season for the club and will look to assist the club in generating more income over the forthcoming season. I feel that my input will add greatly to the club in the future.

Kirsty Emmott – Senior Treasurer

I have been involved in football since my daughter started playing at the age of 5; it’s a sport that I’ve come to love, not that I had much choice! I’ve worked with grassroots teams and been involved in safeguarding and fundraising before, so when the opportunity arose to be part of a committee for such a fantastic club, I jumped at it!

Leeds Ladies FC, even after just one season has given so much to my daughter and I hope to be able to give something back to the club by taking on this position. I believe that ladies football is evolving, becoming ever more exciting and growing in the UK. I’d love to see the expansion of the club so that more girls and ladies can develop their skills and love of sport.

I’ve been self-employed for the last 5 years, offering management and marketing services to businesses. This has given me the skills that I believe are needed to make a good treasurer; organisation, accuracy and accountability. Bringing complete transparency to all members and stakeholders of Leeds Ladies will ensure that everyone has faith in the club ready to move forward and grow.

Joanne Czibor.

Senior Secretary.

I have been involved with and been an avid supporter of Leeds Ladies since my daughter Jessica Tate was signed to the under 16's two years ago.

Since my daughter, a talented striker would like to secure her future in the game I have a vested interest in the team’s success.

To the role of secretary, I bring a wealth of organisational experience, being an assistant manager for a major kitchen manufacturer. Having worked for the company for the past 18 years, I feel more than capable of dealing with any organisational issues that may arise for our team of talented ladies.

We are thrilled to announce that following the EGM on 29^th March 2017 we have received confirmation from the West Riding County FA that they have upheld the result of the vote and the official committee of the club is as follows.

Chairman: Lee Townend

Director of football: Lewis Atkinson

Senior secretary: Jo Czibor

Treasurer: Kirsty Emmott

Welfare officer: Adrian Sykes

Commercial manager: Richard Storey

Since the EGM, the previous committee has laid claim to the legal ownership of the club. The previous committee cancelled all training facilities and withheld club assets including playing kits. In order to ensure that the club kept going the new committee purchased a new kit, reinstated and paid for all training facilities and fulfilled all fixtures.

The FA requested that the previous committee proves legal ownership which they have been unable to do.

Please be assured that the committee has football and the players of this club at the heart of everything they do. Leeds Ladies FC now can look forward to going into next season with a new look committee and a renewed optimism that this club can now fulfil it’s potential.

Please forward any queries to leedsladies.chairman@hotmail.com