Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies F.C.

Southampton Saints Girls and Ladies Football Club was an English women's football club formerly affiliated with Southampton F.C.. They played in the FA Women's National League Division One South West.

This article is about the women's football club formed in 1979 and affiliated to Southampton FC from 2001-2005. For the men's football club, see Southampton F.C. For the similarly-named Southampton women's football club (founded 1970), see Southampton Women's FC. For the women's football club currently affiliated to Southampton FC, see Southampton FC Women.

Southampton Saints Girls and Ladies Football Club
Full nameSouthampton Saints Girls and Ladies Football Club
Nickname(s)The Saints
Founded1979 (as Red Star Southampton W.F.C.)
Dissolved2019
GroundFirst Team: Sholing FC, Silverlake Arena, VT Sportsground, Portsmouth Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 9PW
OwnerSouthampton Saints G&L FC Committee
ChairpersonTracey Wheeler
ManagerAdam Lee
LeagueFA Women's National League Division One South West
2018–19FA Women's National League Division One South West, 8th of 11

At the end of the 2013–14 season the South West Combination WFL dissolved and the team moved into FA Women's Premier League - Division One South West. They finished 4th out of the 9 teams in the newly formed leagues' first season.[1][2]

The club was disbanded due to financial reasons in July 2019[3]

History

The club began in 1979 as Red Star Southampton, competing in the Home Counties League then the Southern Regions League. In 1991 Red Star won the Southern Region Division One and became founder members of the FA Women's Premier League National Division.[4] In August 1991 the club were in Russia as guests of FC Spartak Moscow during the collapse of the Soviet Union. The first season at national level saw Red Star finish second in the League to Doncaster Belles and also lose the 1992 WFA Cup final 4–0 to the same opponents.

Red Star failed to build on their promising start and were relegated from the top flight in 1994–95. In summer 1995 the club became known as Southampton Saints due to affiliation with Southampton F.C.,[4] winning promotion as Southern Premier League champions in 1995–96.

However the club's second spell in the top-flight lasted only a season, as 1996–97 ended in another relegation. Southampton Saints then won the 1997–98 Southern Premier League and secured a mid-table finish in the 1998–99 National Premier League – being named Most Improved Side at the annual FA Awards.[5] In 1999 the club reached its second FA Women's Cup final (not including the ten reached by Southampton W.F.C. in the first 11 years of the competition). This time they were beaten 2–0 by Arsenal Ladies, before a crowd of 6,450 at The Valley.[6]

The club maintained its top-flight status and was merged into Southampton F.C. in 2001.[4] As part of this process the Saints' long-serving manager Vanessa Raynbird was controversially sacked to make way for a male coach.[7] The club was relegated in 2002–03 and this time was unable to bounce straight back, missing out on promotion by a point in 2003–04. Sue Lopez had been appointed manager in 2003. In 2005 Southampton FC were relegated from the men's Premier League and withdrew their support for Southampton Saints as a result.[8]

The team continued as an independent outfit, but were relegated to the South West Combination in 2006–07 after a shambolic season in which they won just once and were unable to field a team for a match in February.[9] They had evaded relegation by a point in 2005–06.[8]

Yet another relegation saw the club playing at Southern Region level from 2008 until 2010, when they returned to the South West Combination as champions under the guidance of new manager Adam Lee.

Stadium

Southampton Saints' First Team play at the home of Sholing F.C.: Universal Stadium, VT Sportsground, Portsmouth Road, Southampton, Hampshire. SO19 9PW

Teams

As of April 2014:

  • U10s - 1st in Winchester & District U10s Girls Football League
  • U11s - 2nd in Winchester & District U12s Girls Football League Div 1
  • U12s - 1st in Winchester & District U12s Girls Football League Div 1
  • U13s - 1st in New Forest Girls U14 Group E Football League
  • U14s - 1st in Winchester & District U14s Girls Football League Div 1
  • U16s - 1st in New Forest U16 Girls Football League
  • Ladies - 7th in South Western Combination Football League

Players

Current squad
As of 8 July 2018.[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Template:Country data GK Hannah Haughton
Template:Country data DF Rebecca Davis
Template:Country data DF Kelly Fripp
Template:Country data DF Sabrina Morris Manoslava
Template:Country data DF Kerri Why
Template:Country data DF Aliss Wheeler
Template:Country data DF Aimee Burridge
Template:Country data DF Carla Mitchell
Template:Country data DF Kat Littleboy
Template:Country data DF Georgie Hoban
Template:Country data DF Amelia Southgate
No. Position Player
Template:Country data MF Emily Hardaker
Template:Country data MF Kaye Henton
Template:Country data MF Nicole Matthews
Template:Country data MF Carla Perkins
Template:Country data MF Becki Bath
Template:Country data MF Emma Eldridge
Template:Country data FW Rachel Anderson
Template:Country data FW Jess Lewry
Template:Country data FW Catherine Browning
Template:Country data FW Krystal Whyte

Reserve squad
As of 7 June 2016.[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Template:Country data GK Rhianna Fallon
Template:Country data DF Kelly Fripp
Template:Country data DF Gemma Morrison
Template:Country data DF Kirsty Parkinson
Template:Country data DF Kaylee Senter
Template:Country data MF Nicky Curtis
Template:Country data MF Kate Early
Template:Country data MF Tiffany Eley
Template:Country data MF Rhyannon Evans
No. Position Player
Template:Country data MF Kelly Holmes
Template:Country data MF Emma King
Template:Country data MF Ellen Pearce
Template:Country data MF Lucy Pearce
Template:Country data MF Belinda Villa
Template:Country data FW Isabel Glover
Template:Country data FW Olivia Jones
Template:Country data FW Lauren Stansfield

Former players

For details of former players, see Category:Southampton Saints L.F.C. players.

Training

Saints Train at Fleming Park, Passfield Avenue, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 9NL on Thursday evenings.

Honours

Official
  • FA Women's Premier League Southern Division:
    • Winners (2): 1995–96, 2007–98
  • Southern Region Women's Premier:
    • Winners (1): 2009/10

Invitational
  • Southampton Divisional FA Women's Challenge Cup:
    • Winners (5): 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017-18

See also
  • Southampton FC Women
  • Southampton Women's FC

References
  1. "South West Combination WFL Dissolves South West Combination Women's Football League - Closed". full-time.thefa.com. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  2. "FA Women's Premier League". fulltime.thefa.com. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  3. "Southampton Saints fold after 40 years". she kicks.com. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  4. "Club History". Southampton: Southampton Girls & Ladies FC. 30 March 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  5. "F.A. WOMEN'S FOOTBALL AWARDS SPONSORED BY AXA 1998/1999". PR Newswire. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  6. "Football: Arsenal are inspired by Spacey". London: The Independent. 4 May 1999. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  7. "Saints women's top football job given to – a man". Southampton: Southern Daily Echo. 10 August 2001. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  8. Leighton, Tony (8 May 2006). "Jilted Saints are spared the drop". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  9. Leighton, Tony (12 February 2007). "Rock-bottom Saints face the end of the road". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  10. "The Team - First Team - Southampton Saints G&L FC". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  11. "The Team - Reserve Team - Southampton Saints G&L FC". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
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