Bristol City W.F.C.

Bristol City Women's Football Club is a women's association football team from the city of Bristol, who compete in FA Women's Super League, the highest division of women's football in England. Formed in 1998 as Bristol Rovers W.F.C., they were renamed Bristol Academy W.F.C. in 2005 following increased involvement of the Bristol Academy of Sport, based at Filton College (now part of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College). A second change of name, this time to Bristol City was approved by the FA Women's Football Board in time for the 2016 WSL season. They play their home games at the purpose built Twerton Park. Bristol City Women won promotion to FA WSL 1 in 2016.

This article is about the team that was renamed Bristol City W.F.C. in 2016. For the team of the same name that played in the 1990s and 2000s, see Bristol City W.F.C. (1990s).
This article is about the team that was called Bristol Rovers from 1998 to 2005. For the current Bristol Rovers team, see Bristol Rovers W.F.C.

Bristol City Women
Full nameBristol City Women's Football Club
Nickname(s)The Robins
Founded1998 (1998) as Bristol Rovers W.F.C.
GroundTwerton Park, Bath
Capacity3,528 (1,006 seated)[1]
ChairmanSimon Arnold
ManagerTanya Oxtoby
LeagueFA WSL
2019–20FA WSL, 10th of 12
WebsiteClub website

History

The team was founded in 1998, following a merger between the Bristol Rovers girls' teams and Welsh side Cable-Tel L.F.C.. This merger came about as Bristol Rovers only had girls teams up to the under 16 age group level, so when girls reached the age of 16 they were forced to leave the club. The merger with Cable-Tel meant that Bristol Rovers had a senior squad, and more importantly it gave them a place in the South West Combination league, only two levels below the top flight of women's football in England. This new merged team took the name Bristol Rovers W.F.C. and played their home games at The Beeches, the training ground and administrative offices of Bristol Rovers, located in Brislington.

Bristol Academy playing Birmingham City in 2006

The team, like their male counterparts at Bristol Rovers, were somewhat nomadic in their early days, having played home matches at The Beeches, Lodge Road (home of Yate Town), Cossham Street (Mangotsfield United), the Memorial Stadium (Bristol Rovers), Fry's Sports Ground in Keynsham, The Lawns (Cribbs F.C.),[2] The Hand Stadium (Clevedon Town), Lakeview (Bishop Sutton), and Oaklands Park (Almondsbury Town).[3] They finally acquired their own purpose-built home ground, Stoke Gifford Stadium, on land owned by Filton College (now South Gloucestershire and Stroud College) in time for the inaugural FA WSL season in 2011. Since then, all of their home games have been played there, with the exception of UEFA Women's Champions League matches, which have been held at Ashton Gate.[4]

The name of the club was changed to Bristol Academy at the beginning of the 2005–06 season to reflect the increased involvement of the Bristol Academy of Sport with the club. The team continued to play in the blue and white quarters of Bristol Rovers however, and also retained the nickname The Gas Girls, an acknowledgement of Rovers' unofficial nickname of The Gas.[5] Bristol Rovers, now in the bottom division of The Football League, found themselves unable to continue financing a women's team in 2006 and withdrew funding. Bristol Academy of Sport agreed to bankroll the team for 12 months, but there were serious doubts during the 2006–07 season that the club would survive beyond the summer.[6]

In summer 2009 the club had a funding crisis. Manager Gary Green was sacked, Corinne Yorston left for Arsenal, Stef Curtis for Chelsea and Gwennan Harries for Everton.[7] Without their star players the team finished bottom of the table in 2009–10.

The Club were one of eight founding teams in the FA WSL in April 2011, when they moved into a brand new stadium at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College's Stoke Gifford Campus.[8]

In 2013 the club signed a sponsorship agreement with Bristol City FC and changed their home kit from blue to red,[9] and three years later the club was renamed Bristol City Women's Football Club.[10]

In July 2018, the club named Tanya Oxtoby its new manager, moving into the position from being an assistant with Birmingham City W.F.C.[11]

League history
Bristol Academy at home to Arsenal Ladies, May 2013

It took just two seasons to gain promotion to the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division, when the club won the South West Combination in the 2000–01 season under the management of Dave Bell. After this Dave Bell left the club to join the academy set-up at Manchester United, and was replaced by Tony Ricketts.

Tony Ricketts also achieved league success, with the team winning the Southern Division in the 2002–03 season and earning promotion to the FA Women's Premier League National Division. The first season in the top-flight was a struggle, with the team narrowly avoiding relegation. However Bristol Academy established themselves in the National Division with two fifth-place finishes over the next two seasons.

In the 2006–2007 season, they began as top contenders for the title, having reached the top spot in November (though defending champions Arsenal L.F.C. kept postponing matches due to European Cup, League Cup and FA Cup commitments, which might have been a factor in Bristol's recent success). As Arsenal restarted its League matches, however, Bristol Academy slipped, hovering between the 4th and 8th places.

Bristol City Women finished 2nd in FA WSL 2 for the 2016 season and won promotion to FA WSL 1 for their 2017 campaign.

Cup history
Bristol City away against London Bees, April 2016

In the short history of the team they have reached the semi-final of the FA Women's Cup five times. The first was in the 2000–01 season when they were still playing their league football in the South West Combination, playing in front of a club record crowd of over 3000 at the Memorial Stadium against Arsenal L.F.C.. The match ended in a 3–0 defeat. Three more unsuccessful semi-final matches were to follow in this competition, against Fulham L.F.C. in 2002–03, Charlton Athletic L.F.C. in the 2004–05 season and Arsenal again providing the opposition in 2006–07.

In 2011 the club reached the final of the FA Cup after a 3–0 semi-final win over Liverpool. Bristol were beaten 2–0 by Arsenal in the final, before 13,885 fans at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.[12] In 2013 the club reached its second FA Cup final after a 2–0 semi-final win over Lincoln Ladies. Bristol were again beaten by Arsenal 3–0 in the final at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster.

The team dominated the Gloucestershire FA Women's Challenge Cup in their early days, winning the trophy eight times in their first nine seasons. The only failure to win the competition came in the 2003–04 season when they were beaten in the final by the original Bristol City W.F.C., their first ever defeat to their cross-city rivals. Following the 2006–07 win the first team stopped competing in the tournament, although their junior teams continued taking part.

UEFA competitions

Because of the new WSL, England's UEFA Women's Champions League places were allocated to the FA Cup finalists as a one time exception. Thus Bristol won a place in the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League round of 32.[13] They started in the round of 32 and were drawn against Russian side Energiya Voronezh and drew their home game 1–1 but lost the return leg in Russia 2–4 and didn't advance.[14][15]

Season by season
SeasonLeaguePositionFA CupLeague CupAOtherManager
Bristol Rovers W.F.C.
1998–99South West Combination2ndGloucestershire Cup winnersBilly Gornicki-Bond
1999–00South West Combination2ndThird roundGloucestershire Cup winners
2000–01South West Combination1st
(promoted)		Semi-finalGloucestershire Cup winnersDave Bell
2001–02Premier League Southern Division2nd of 12Fourth roundFirst roundGloucestershire Cup winnersTony Ricketts
2002–03Premier League Southern Division1st of 11
(promoted)		Semi-finalQuarter-finalGloucestershire Cup winners
2003–04Premier League National Division8th of 10Semi-finalSemi-finalTony Ricketts
Ivor Gumm
2004–05Premier League National Division5th of 10Semi-finalQuarter-finalGloucestershire Cup winnersGary Green
Bristol Academy W.F.C.
2005–06Premier League National Division5th of 10Quarter-finalQuarter-finalGloucestershire Cup winnersGary Green
2006–07Premier League National Division4th of 12Semi-finalSecond roundGloucestershire Cup winners
2007–08Premier League National Division4th of 12Fourth roundThird round
2008–09Premier League National Division8th of 12Quarter-finalSecond round
2009–10Premier League National Division12th of 12Fourth roundQuarter-finalGranted WSL licence[16]Mark Sampson
2011Women's Super League5th of 8Runners-upFirst round2011–12 Champions League: First round
2012Women's Super League4th of 8Semi-finalSemi-final
2013Women's Super League2nd of 8Runners-upGroup stage
2014WSL 17th of 8Fifth roundGroup stage2014–15 Champions League: Quarter-finalDave Edmondson
2015WSL 18th of 8
(relegated)		Fifth roundQuarter-finalDave Edmondson
Lauren Smith[17]
Willie Kirk
Bristol City W.F.C.
2016WSL 22nd of 10
(promoted)		Fourth roundFirst roundWillie Kirk
2017WSL 18th of 9Sixth roundN/AB
2017–18WSL 18th of 10Fourth roundQuarter-final
2018–19Women's Super League6th of 11Fifth roundGroup stageTanya Oxtoby
2019–20Women's Super League10th of 12Fifth roundGroup stage

^A League cup column shows results in the FA Women's Premier League Cup (2001–2010) and the FA WSL Cup (2011–present)
^B There was no WSL Cup tournament during the 2017 WSL Spring Series

Stadium
Stoke Gifford Stadium
Stoke Gifford Stadium shown within Bristol and the UK

After having played at a number of different grounds, the team finally got their own home in 2011 when they moved into the newly built Stoke Gifford Stadium. It was the first stadium in the UK to be developed specifically for a women's football team,[18][19] and is built on South Gloucestershire and Stroud College's WISE campus.

The club record attendance came in March 2001 when 3,306 spectators watched Bristol Rovers' Women's FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal at the Memorial Stadium.[20]

On August 5 2020, Bristol City announced that they would be moving to Twerton Park, the home of National League South club Bath City.

Team honours
  • FA Women's Premier League Southern Division: 1
2002–03
2000–01
  • Gloucestershire FA Women's Challenge Cup: 8
1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07

Players

Current squad
As of 15 July 2020.[21]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ENG Sophie Baggaley
3 DF  WAL Gemma Evans
4 DF  ENG Jasmine Matthews
6 MF  AUS Chloe Logarzo
8 MF  ENG Carla Humphrey
9 FW  ENG Ebony Salmon
10 FW  BEL Yana Daniëls
11 FW  ENG Charlie Wellings
12 DF  ENG Florence Allen
16 DF  ENG Meaghan Sargeant
18 MF  ENG Maisy Collis
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF  ENG Georgia Wilson
21 FW  SCO Abi Harrison
22 GK  WAL Aimee Watson
26 DF  ENG Faye Bryson
27 FW  ENG Jessica Wooley
— DF  ENG Jemma Purfield
— MF  AUS Ella Mastrantonio
— MF  ENG Aimee Palmer
— MF  WAL Megan Wynne
— FW  ENG Ella Rutherford

Former players

For details of former players, see Category:Bristol City W.F.C. players.

gollark: I could still go in, though, they weren't the annoying sort of protestors.
gollark: I was once in Edinburgh consuming food from a Subway and found that there was actually a vegan protest in front of it.
gollark: This is because people don't actually seem to work, on the whole, according to stated ethical values.
gollark: Thus, if you try and make me do things which are "good according to some ethical standard which I claim to roughly agree with" but inconvenience me personally a significant amount, such as veganism, I may just entirely ignore you because "some animals do not like being used to produce milk for me" is part of the "far group" of issues I am not really paying attention to.
gollark: Ignoring things when it's convenient.

See also

References
  1. Information Bath City F.C.
  2. Bristol Rovers Women v Bristol City Women Matchday Programme. Bristol: Bristol Rovers Football Club. 23 October 2002. p. 3.
  3. "Football for Women". Midland Combination. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. "Women's Champions League: Bristol reach quarter-finals". BBC Sport. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  5. "Bristol Academy Women's Football Club (BAWFC)". Bristol Academy Women’s Football Club. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  6. "In the Visitors Corner Bristol Academy WFC", Bristol City WFC matchday programme (vs Bristol Academy, FA Women's Cup), 2006–07: 13, 27 January 2007
  7. "Green loses Bristol Academy job amid funding worries". Bristol Evening Post. 8 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  8. "Lincoln Ladies FA Women's Super League bid success". BBC. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  9. Baker, Adam (17 April 2013). "Free entry at Bristol Academy WFC". Bristol City FC. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  10. "Bristol Academy to rebrand as Bristol City Women's FC". BBC Sport. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. Crawley, James (4 July 2013). "Oxtoby appointed Vixens manager". Bristol City FC. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  12. Tony Leighton (21 May 2011). "Women's FA Cup final: Arsenal 2–0 Bristol Academy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  13. "Double first for Bristol". shekicks.net. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  14. "Bristol denied by alte penalty". shekicks.net. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  15. "Bristol Bow out to Voroneh". shekicks.net. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  16. "FA announce Women's Super League clubs". UEFA. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  17. "Bristol Academy: Head coach Dave Edmondson leaves club". BBC Sport. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  18. "FA Women's Super League Tournament". visitbristol.co.uk. Destination Bristol. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  19. Tony Leighton (25 April 2010). "Bristol Academy builds Britain's first women's stadium". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  20. "Arsenal and Fulham into Cup final". BBC Sport. 25 March 2001. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  21. "City Women Squad". Bristol City.
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