Leeds United Ladies » About the club

About the club

Formed in 1989, Leeds United Ladies has been one of the country’s top women’s side for most of this decade

After a two-year partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University, the club had its funding and Super League application withdrawn in January 2010, two weeks before gaining its first silverware – the FA Tesco Premier League Cup.

After seven years playing in the Yorkshire & Humberside league, the season 1997/98 saw the first team gain promotion to the AXA FA Northern Premier League. After consolidating and adjusting to National league football for a couple of seasons they then achieved promotion as champions of the Northern Premier League, the same season also saw them play in the semi finals of the Women’s FA Cup for the first time. They then gained promotion in 2001/02 to the FA National League where they finished a very credible fourth.

2003/2004 saw the team once again in fourth place, the highest placed team outside London. In 2004/05 the team finished in fifth place, while 2005/06 saw the team achieve its first appearance in the Women’s FA Cup final.

Season 2006/07 was an up and down season with Leeds topping the table over the Christmas period and getting through to the Premier League Cup Final, when they narrowly lost 1-0 in the 90th minute against Arsenal, eventually finishing fifth in the league.

Rick Passmoor was appointed Manager in July 2007, and brought in new signings including Steph Houghton, Carly Telford, Katie Holtham and Jade Moore, while the partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University brought in players such as Emma Higgins from Northern Ireland.

Over the summer of 2007 the youth teams amalgamated with the Leeds United Girls Centre of Excellence to form one organisation that feeds into the open age team.

The new structure enables better player development through more coaching and matches against similar standard players from other Centres of Excellence through a new league structure, which should see more local players progressing through into the first team and gaining international honours.

The club has several members of the first squad that have progressed through from the youth teams and it is hoped there will be an influx every year. Recent graduates include England regulars Gemma Bonner and Jess Clarke, Sophie Walton, Olivia Thackray and Mel Sutcliffe . In 2008, Carla Cantrell and Ellen White arrived, while the summer of 2009 saw the arrival of Nat Staneff, Laura Bassett and Remi Allen.

The blend of home-grown talent with regular England internationals saw the club have its most sucessful season ever. As well as the Premier League Cup win, the club was made Club of the Year in the 2010 Leeds Sports Federation Awards, and picked up the FA Club Media Award (as it had in 2008-09) and finished fourth, just three points and a few goals away from Europe. Rick Passmoor deservedly collected the Premier League Manager of the Season award from the FA.

Now back in the Leeds United stable, the club is independently funded by local businesses and indivisuals with a genuine interest in women’s football. With reserves manager Gemma Grainger stepping up to run the first team, and with many first team and reserves players still with the club, 2010-11 could be equally momentous.