Millwall Lionesses L.F.C.

Millwall Lionesses Ladies Football Club is an English women's football club based in Rotherhithe, south-east London, that plays in the Eastern Region Women's League, the fifth tier of English women's football.[1]

This article is about the original Millwall Lionesses football team. For the breakaway football club founded in 2019, see London City Lionesses.
Millwall Lionesses L.F.C
Full nameMillwall Lionesses
Ladies Football Club
Nickname(s)The Lionesses
Founded1972 (1972)
GroundSt Paul's Sports Ground, Rotherhithe
Chief executiveSean Daly
ManagerColin Reid
LeagueEastern Region Women's League
2018–19FA Women's Championship, 11th of 11
WebsiteClub website

Founded in 1972, the group of women who made up the Lionesses were at first snubbed by Millwall FC but went on to become the first women's football team to affiliate to a professional men's team, Millwall F.C. who are nicknamed "The Lions". The Lionesses pioneered the now common "Football in the Community Scheme".

History

Millwall Lionesses remained an independent club in their initial years of existence. In the mid–1980s Millwall FC, who were trying to mitigate an appalling reputation for football hooliganism and racism, embraced the female club as part of their community project.[2] Development officer Gary Stempel sourced funding from the Greater London Council (GLC) and then a combination of Lewisham and Greenwich Councils, as well as the Sports Council.

Millwall Lionesses became a leading force in both the women's game and the "Millwall Community Programme", and played an active part in the development of girls' football. Millwall Lionesses were the first club to have a female Centre of Excellence, of which there eventually became 42 in England. Millwall Lionesses field teams with an age range of eight, to thirty plus.[3]

The former England women's national football team coach Hope Powell began her career with The Lionesses at the age of eleven, making her international debut at the age of 16.

The Lionesses won the FA Women's Cup in 1991 and 1997.[4]

The Lionesses won promotion back to the FA Women's Premier League National Division in 2008–09, following an eight-year absence since their relegation in 2001.[5]

In 2014 the Lionesses were founding members of the FA Women's Super League 2, the new 2nd tier of Women's football in England later renamed the FA Women's Championship. [6]

In May 2019, shortly after the conclusion of the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship, it was announced that the Lionesses would split from Millwall F.C. forming a breakaway club named London City Lionesses.[7] The FA Women's Championship licence was transferred to the new club.[8] Millwall Lionesses would be operated through the Millwall Community Trust, whilst playing their football in the Eastern Region Women's League.[1][7] Colin Reid was appointed as manager, with St Paul's Sports Ground in Rotherhithe confirmed as their home venue.[1]

Players
As of 29 June 2019.[9]
Millwall Lionesses team in February 2015
No. Position Player Nation
13 Goalkeeper Chloe Sansom  England
3 Defender Leanne Cowan  England
12 Defender Beth Powell  England
— Defender Jasmine Augustus  England
16 Midfielder Ellie Stenning  England
21 Defender Kalani Peart  England
— Forward Beth Lumsden  England
19 Forward Beth Harford  England
1 Goalkeeper Grace Taylor  England
4 Midfielder Freya Bailes  England
18 Midfielder Michelle Young  England
25 Midfielder Sara Guzowska  Poland
24 Defender Asanteni Charles  England
28 Midfielder Francesca Ali  England
22 Midfielder Chloe Wilkinson  England

References
  1. Millwall Lionesses (6 August 2019). "Millwall Lionesses announce Colin Reid as new manager". Millwall FC. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. Davies, John (22 September 2007). "Football gets a kick start". Times Educational Supplement. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2012. "The mid-80s was a violent era, and the club was desperate to get away from its (fans’) racist image and really take the club back to the local community," recalls Hicks.
  3. Millwall Lionesses History and Honours
  4. Mike Rowbottom (5 May 1997). "Football: Lionesses bring pride to Millwall". The Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  5. Tony Leighton (13 April 2009). "Millwall Lionesses set for Premier League return". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  6. FA WSL (5 September 2018). "CLUB TIMELINE". FA WSL.
  7. Millwall FC (15 May 2019). "Club Statement: Millwall Lionesses". Millwall FC.
  8. "London City Lionesses: FA Women's Football board approve Millwall switch". BBC News. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  9. Archived 7 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Millwall Lionesses LFC
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