Players wanted for new women's league

A four-team league collapsed during the winter of 2015-16, with teams consistently unable to field 11 players.

There has been no domestic competition since, although Ormer Ladies, which then became North Ladies, and Guernsey Ladies have both taken part in Channel Island Leagues – though the most recent CI League, which started in 2019, fell victim to Covid.

Guernsey Ladies is now the only women’s club, with some 20 training regularly, and coach Richard Sutton and the squad are now looking to take things to the next step and create a league within the club’s player base.

‘I sent out an advert for the new league the other day and we’re seeing some responses come in already,’ he said.

‘We have so many ladies on the [squad group] chat with no league to play in. They are all desperate for competitive football, so the best way to do it is to start a league ourselves.

‘The plan is for the league to consist of four teams that all come under the one club banner – Guernsey Ladies FC.’

Sutton, also the senior island women’s coach, is still waiting for his first inter-insular fixture, having been assistant coach the last time a women’s Muratti was played in 2016.

But he has been involved with GLFC since then, training regularly with a player group and bringing through several talented teenagers.

‘Right now we have a really nice batch of 16 and 17-year-olds. As we’ve just seen, Sydney Schreimaier has been selected to play for Brighton’s academy and I think we have another five girls like that who could do the same,’ he said.

‘We also have a great batch of 14-15 year olds who will benefit from this league when they are old enough to play.’

The league is being established with an eye to a return of the women’s Muratti in 2022 and a Guernsey team on home turf in the 2023 NatWest Island Games.

GLFC fared pretty well in their venture into CI competition in 2019-20, winning two matches before the league was curtailed by Covid. But they have not played a competitive fixture since January 2020.

‘With restrictions as they are, we cannot enter that league, so we want to get the word out that we are getting a new league for women here,’ he said.

‘We will do a draft for players like they do in The Hundred in the cricket and the four most-experienced players will be the team captains.

‘They will get the opportunity to create a kit and make their decisions on team colours and team names.’