Crick Athletic Ladies FC gain promotion to Premier League!

It has literally been a dream season for Crick Athletic Ladies who won Division One of the Northamptonshire Women and Girls Football League last Sunday with an emphatic win of 6-1 against league stalwarts Earls Barton. The team sponsored by Custom Heat Limited finished the league with an impressive 14 wins, 3 draws and only one loss to amass 45 points which gave them the League Division One title. There has been cup success too making the Northampton Town FA Cup Semi -Final only narrowly losing out to Premier side Moulton Ladies. Crick Ladies striker Morgan Greenley has also won the league’s golden boot award with a very impressive 40 goals scored out of 18 appearances.

It’s a far cry from the days when Crick Athletic Ladies FC was formed and joined the league in September 2016 making BBC Sport international headlines due to a -80 goal difference after their first 3 league games that stirred a social media frenzy. Not to be defeated by such negativity, the ladies fought on and have improved year after year which has eventually paid off thanks to the dedication of coach/manager Summer Stewardson supported by team founder Ian Gidley and assistant Harry. There have of course been changes over the years but the team’s ethos of inclusivity and positivity has remained and this is evident from ladies ages ranging from 16 to 42.

Despite the victory, it hasn’t been an easy season with the worst weather in the league’s history with persistent rain resulting in unprecedented amounts of matches being postponed. Summer also had to have an operation on her ankle which put her out of action for several weeks. However, the sheer grit and determination of the players and coaches won through in the end aided by their dedicated team of supporters.

The ladies are currently enjoying a well deserved rest until pre-season training starting on 10th June. Sessions will be open at this time and so any ladies aged 16 and above are very welcome to join in. Just get in touch via Crick Athletic Ladies Football Facebook page. Cricktok set up by winger Jezza also deserves a special mention with humorous team posts on TikTok with 91 followers in just over 2 months with one meme receiving 8575 views!

Crick Athletic Ladies are now looking forward to their debut in the Premier Division in September 2024!