Colchester United FCColchester United Ladies F.C.
Colchester United Ladies FC was founded in 1992 as the Colchester Royals. Following affiliation to Colchester United FC in 1998 the club began a meteoric rise to their current status as a Women’s Premier League side. Eastern Regional League Premier Division championships in 2001/2 and 2004/5 cemented the teams place in the South East Combination. The clubs breakout year came in 2006/7 when they achieved a league and cup double in the Combination, earning them promotion to the FA Women’s Premier League. Placed in the South Division the club has consolidated its place with creditable 7th and 6th place finishes.
In cup competitions the team has had some impressive runs in the Women’s FA Cup including in 2008 when the team reached the 5th round following a ‘Team of the Round’ performance defeating Aston Villa in round four. In the same year the reserve team won the Essex County Cup.
Also in 2008 the club took an Under 19s squad to the prestigious Gothia Cup World Youth Club Championships in Sweden and after battling top opposition from around the world the team came away victorious following a 1-0 victory over Polish champions Medyk Konin in the final.
This victory highlighted the quality of the clubs youth and development programming. In conjunction with the Colchester United Community Sports Trust the club has run an FA Centre of Excellence for U-10, U-12, U-14 and U-16 teams since 1998. The Centre has produced no fewer than 12 full and youth internationals and continues to be the mainstay of supplying players to the senior sides. A Player Development Centre and various grass roots initiatives are also on offer. In 2002 the programme was one of the first in the country to establish a Female Football Academy giving 16-19 year olds the opportunity to combine full time education with football training and matches.
With all these programmes now fully under the umbrella of the Community Trust a full player pathway is now on offer at Colchester as the club continues its impressive development and hopes are high for eventual progress into the top flight of women’s football.
For more information about the Club, match reports, pictures and news click here
Colchester United Ladies Football Club Sponsors: -
