Bath City FC announce expansion of programmes for women and girls

Bath City FC have today announced three new initiatives for women and girls’ football; a new Under 18s team that next season will play in the Bristol Girls League, a partnership with Bath College for the formation of an Academy programme and the establishment of the first women’s walking football team for the club.

Jane Jones Director of Women’s Football at Bath City FC said: “We estimate that on a weekly basis there are over 550 women and girls playing football as a result of the activities run across the Bath City family. From the fantastic programmes delivered by the Bath City Foundation for girls in schools, the Bath City Youth girls’ teams that have 180 girls involved to the Bath City Women First and Development teams. These initiatives will see that number grow even further, providing more development opportunities for girls and encouraging women of all ages to keep playing.”

The aim of the Bath City Women Under 18s team is to cement a pathway through from Bath City Youth girls’ teams into senior football with Bath City Women. It will be formed from a nucleus of the very successful Bath City Youth U16s Gladiators team who last season were champions in the Wiltshire league for the second season in a row and won the Wiltshire League Cup for their age group.

Matt Abreu, Bath City Women Manager said: “The step up into senior football needs to be carefully managed so that players get experience and exposure at the pace that suits their personal development needs. The new U18s team will ensure that we have a consistent coaching style that will help ease this transition.”

Alongside this will be a new Women’s Football Academy at Bath College, launching in the 2025/26 academic year. This will mirror the already successful Men’s Football Academy that the two organisations have been operating for more than 10 years.

The programme is aimed at girls aged 16–18 who want to combine full-time study with intensive football training to progress and develop their skills.

James Moon, who has overseen the Men’s Academy in partnership with Bath City for the past four years, said: “Women’s football is growing rapidly, both nationally and here in Bath, so launching a dedicated academy feels like the natural next step for our partnership with Bath City. We’ve seen how successful the Men’s Academy model has been, and we want to offer the same high-performance environment for young female players—somewhere they can push themselves, develop technically and physically, and feel connected to a clear pathway into senior football. Bringing Bath City Women and the college together creates some fantastic opportunities, and I’m really excited to see what the first cohort will achieve.”

Finally for women who are at the other end of their playing days, players are being sought for the first ever Bath City Women Walking Football team. Walking football is one of the UK’s fastest growing sports and there are now two divisions in the Somerset County Women’s Walking Football League. The new Bath City Women’s Walking Football team will start to train in the new year, playing friendlies and festivals ahead of joining the league next season. Interested players need to be aged 35 or over and can register their interest here.

Jo Bellotti who, alongside Alison Keith, pitched the idea of a Bath City Women Walking Football team to the club said: “The love of football never leaves you and whilst running on a full-sized pitch is challenging once you reach a certain age, walking football means you can still enjoy the beautiful game, albeit at a slower pace. If you used to play football, or just fancy giving it a go, we’d love to hear from you.”

The announcements come ahead of a celebration of Bath City women and girls’ football which will take place on Saturday 29th November at the Bath City men’s match v Enfield Town. There will be various activities including a parade at half time where Bath City Women will be joined by Bath City Youth girls’ teams to parade trophies won last season and after the game, there will be a showing of the Lionesses game against China which kicks off at 5.30pm. Free tickets for Under 16 girls can be accessed by visiting tickets.bathcityfc.com. Terms and conditions apply.

There will be Happy Hour after the men’s game to encourage supporters to stay and watch England women’s game v China which kicks off at 5.30pm.