By Oliver Eaton
Town Women open the season on a historic day for English Women’s Football.
Following months of building fitness, integrating new players into the team and working through the tight preseason schedule, Huddersfield Town Women will officially start their 2023/24 FAWNL Northern Premier campaign on Sunday 20th August when they welcome AFC Fylde to the Stafflex Arena.
Kick-off has been delayed to the new time of 4pm in light of the triumphant progress made by the England Lionesses into the Women’s World Cup Final. Fans will be able to watch this historic match at the Stafflex Arena from 11am on Sunday morning, followed by Town’s season opener from 4pm.
The League Landscape
Last season Huddersfield Town Women finished sixth in the league out of 12 teams. Picking up 7 wins and 5 draws during the 22-game campaign. The conclusion of the season saw the relegation of Loughborough Lightning and Boldmere St Michaels, whereas the league winners, Nottingham Forest, narrowly missed out on promotion to the FA Women’s Championship after losing the FAWNL Play-Off to Southern Premier Division winners Watford.
The 2023/24 season will see two new teams facing Town Women following their promotion from the tier below. Newcastle United were crowned champions of Division One North meanwhile Stourbridge secured promotion as champions from Division One Midlands. Finally, another new name on the fixture list is Halifax FC Women, who were formerly Brighouse Town prior to their relocation and rebranding.
Manager Glen Preston is ready for the tough challenge:
“There’s no getting away from the fact there will be a league within a league in the FAWNL this year. The resources some clubs will have by comparison will make an incredible challenge but equally a fascinating dynamic! The smaller teams will have plenty of giants to try and slay.”
Preston is excited for the season:
“I think it’s an exciting time for the whole club; it feels like, for the first time in a long time, we can start to move forwards again. It was a challenging year last season, but I think a lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes from the chairman right down to the volunteers to move this great club to the next level.”
“It’s also a good feeling to see the new owner Kevin come in and show his support for the women’s team, and for that, we are grateful, and then on the pitch, there will be new, exciting, young players who we hope, in time, we can help make household names at this level and beyond.”
Our Upcoming Opponents
AFC Fylde finished in seventh place last season just missing out on the place above on goal difference. Coming into the 2023/24 season they will have a new manager in charge with former Manchester City Women Academy coach, Jack Garside taking the role.
The Lancashire coast side play their home games from Kellamergh Park in Warton with occasional fixtures being hosted in AFC Fylde Men’s Mill Farm in Wesham. Last season AFC Fylde picked up maximum points against Huddersfield following a 2-0 home win in October 2022 and a 1-0 away win in April 2023.
Glen Preston expects an intense encounter:
“Fylde are probably in a similar place as us in terms of rebuilding, rebranding and investing in youth; they’ve always tried to play an exciting style of football, and so we anticipate a full-on intense encounter where two teams will be giving it their all.”
“A win on the season’s opening day can often set the tone. Still, we want our players to be as focused as possible, relaxed and play as though the game is fun. We can’t worry too much about how crucial a game like this might be in the long run; we need to take one game at a time, find ways to win, and enjoy our football.”
New Faces in the Squad
Terriers fans will be able to see new faces within the squad for the new season. A mixture of new signings and call-ups from the development team means that Town Women will be looking different on the pitch for the following season.
During the last month Huddersfield Town Women were delighted to announce the signings of Olivia Harness from Doncaster Belles, former Salford City striker Feiruz Abdullahi, Scarlett McMahon from Plymouth Argyle and the promising former Leicester City Academy captain Freya Walton.
With more signings ready to be announced in coming days, now is the best time to be following Huddersfield Town Women on social media – @HTAFCWomen.
How to watch HTAFCWomen
Fans wishing to watch Huddersfield Town Women in their first league fixture will need to come down to the Stafflex Arena, HD8 0WA. Tickets operate on a Pay on the Gate basis with cash or card options available. Adults £6, Concessions £4, Under 16’s have free entry.
Can’t make the game? You can follow minute-by-minute updates on our Twitter (X) account with matchday content running across all our social channels @HTAFCWomen. Highlights from our match will become available on our YouTube channel around 48 hours after the match.
