Full name | Manchester City Women's Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Citizens, The Blues, City, Man City |
Founded | 1988 |
Ground |
Academy Stadium Sportcity, Manchester, England |
Capacity | 7,000 (5,000 seated) |
Chairman | Gavin Makel |
Manager | Nick Cushing |
League | FA WSL |
FA WSL 1 | 1st |
Website | Club home page |
Manchester City Women's Football Club (formerly Manchester City Ladies F.C.) are an English women's football club based in Manchester who play in the FA Women's Super League and are current champions. They are affiliated with Manchester City F.C. who play in the Premier League.
Manchester City Ladies was formed in November 1988, playing their first match against Oldham on Boundary Park's artificial pitch. City won the friendly 4–2 and joined the North West Women's Regional Football League the following season.
During 2000–01, the club experienced the most successful season in its history, with four teams winning their respective leagues, one successful in a league and cup double and the under-13's completing a treble.
Season 2002–03 proved to be another successful campaign, with first team finishing mid-table and consolidating their position at this level, while the under-12's won their league without dropping a single point. This was followed in 2003–04 when the under-13's won the Tameside League and Cup double, narrowly missing out in the final of the League Cup. Following on, the under-13 team competing in the following season (2004–05) had a clean sweep of the honours, winning the treble.
In 2003 the club achieved The FA Charter Standard Club award for both junior and adult sections.
In 2007/08 now former manager Leigh Wood was appointed which proved to ignite an upturn in the Ladies fortunes. With constant improvement season on season the 2011–12 Season proved to be the most successful yet, with the title run in during 2010–11 proving to be very close with City just missing out. The following season despite losing their opening 3 fixture Wood guided City to top spot in the Premier League Northern Division, winning 1–0 against Sporting Club Albion on 22 April 2012 to secure promotion to the National Division for the first time in their history, going on a club record unbeaten 14 game run in the process.
With the announced expansion of the Women's Super League competition – the top level of women's football in England – to an 18-team, two-tiered league system, Manchester City Ladies were revealed to have entered the bidding to join the expanded league, bidding for a place in either division. To some surprise and controversy, on 26 April City Ladies were announced to have been reassigned to the new first division of the WSL, replacing established team Doncaster Rovers Belles, who were downgraded to the second division and were the only team to lose their top division status.