Football team celebrate league win in first year

Jonathan Holmes

BBC News, West of England

The first women’s football team in a club’s 124-year history has celebrated after winning the league unbeaten.

Odd Down AFC in Bath launched the team last year, and they have not dropped a point throughout their 13 games in Division Three of the Somerset County Division.

The team will move up into Division Two of the league next year.

“They get on really well,” said team manager Rob Macer. “When they go on the pitch they fight for everything and they deserve the success they’ve had.”

When the team began, they were wearing handed-down kits from the men’s team, but now have their own sponsors and their own home and away kits.

They were originally based at another club, before moving to Odd Down in 2024.

Odd Down have commissioned a big champion’s banner for the team to celebrate after their last league game against Clevedon Town today.

“This is a massive achievement. I don’t think it’s an achievement that many teams have managed at any level to be honest,” Mr Macer said.

Managing the team is a family affair for him – his daughter Kira is the club captain, and his two other daughters also play in the team.

“It’s a sense of pride, they’re achieving something special and creating a pathway into women’s football at Odd Down,” he added.

Club captain Kira Macer said she was “very proud” of how far the team had come.

“There has been a massive shift in how people feel towards women’s football, that they can actually put a pair of boots on and go play.

“It’s amazing to think that we went to the new club with nothing and finished winning the league,” she said.