The University of Worcester’s Women’s Football Team is guaranteed promotion after winning every game in their league and finishing with an extraordinary 100-goal difference.
“It feels amazing,” said Captain, Annie Sime. “Promotion was a huge goal so achieving it means a lot, especially being in final year.”
Speaking after an 8-0 victory over Nottingham Trent University’s 3s team, Annie added: “Everyone has put so much work in, so to finish it off with another strong performance shows the commitment and togetherness we’ve had all season.”
The side has dominated the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Midlands Division 2B this year, the third tier of Women’s University Football, and now prepares for life in Midlands Tier 1 division.
Annie said the side was staying realistic but ambitious about the challenges ahead: “Everyone in the team is really excited about going up a league and are ready to embrace the challenges that may come. The club is in a great position to take on the challenge and to keep pushing forward.”
With no league fixtures remaining, the team’s focus now turns to the semi-final and the final of the League Cup, an achievement Coach Mike Harris says would top off a remarkable year.
“If we can win the league, the cup, and then have a victory at this year’s Varsity competitions against the University of Gloucestershire that would be perfect; we’d be Worcester’s Invincibles!”
Reflecting on the season, Mike said: “We carried real momentum from last season, and to come back and win the league so convincingly has been fantastic. More importantly, it reflects how much the women’s football programme, and women’s sport across the University, has grown.”
He added: “We’re proud of the progress being made and delighted to see it showing on the pitch.”
The University of Worcester offers sports scholarships for students with exceptional international-level achievement in their sport, supporting them to balance elite performance with academic study.
On the University’s scholars, Mike continued: “It’s been a fantastic year for our scholars. We’ve supported five players on the performance pathway, including several involved in national camps and senior women’s football. Helping them balance university success with their development as dual‑career athletes has been hugely rewarding, and the progress they’ve made shows how strong the pathway is becoming.”
Vice-Captain Dani Rogers said: “We have won the league now, but we want to win the cup too! It would be incredible to go completely unbeaten, so we take every game as a new challenge and opportunity to show off how good we are.”
The team take on Birmingham 1s(A) in the League Cup Semi-Final on 25 Feb. If they win, they’ll be in the final on 11 March.
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email [email protected]