Manchester City Women’s Football Club enter the WSL for the first time this coming season but, so determined are they to hit the ground running, training started six months ago.
It has been a remarkable upward trajectory for the club – formerly known as Manchester City Ladies FC – in recent seasons, which culminated in their re-launch last week in time for the new season.
Not only will they make their debut in the top tier of women’s football, but they will continue to mirror and benefit from their association with their men’s equivalent.
But with high standards to follow from the men’s success, the women are leaving nothing to chance when it comes to making their own mark this season.
England midfielder Jill Scott has joined City's ranks
That included introducing individual training programmes for each player to follow from last July until December, something head coach Leigh Wood hopes will give them the edge over their rivals.
“We have worked behind the scenes at Manchester City,” he said. “We have got the support of the men’s team and it’s about equal opportunities for both the men’s and women’s team.
“We hope we can push on this season but it really is an exciting time for the team.
“We have put them through a rigorous training regime from July to December, we want them to be able to compete in the league and for that they need to be fit enough.
“The players have loved it, some of them have been sent out on loan to keep up their fitness. They all had an individual training programme from July to December.
“Some of those going out on loan will be fitter and better than they were last year.
“We have a big squad so it was like a carrot for people to prove their fitness by following the programme.”
And while the players have been busy in training, the coaching staff have been equally active bringing in six new players so far in the close season.
Toni Duggan is expected to deliver a cutting edge
Defender Steph Houghton has been handed the captain’s armband following her move from Arsenal while fellow England internationals Karen Bardsley, Jill Scott and Toni Duggan have all signed.
New Zealand midfielder Betsy Hassett and Liverpool Ladies midfielder Jess Holbrook are the latest recruits since the new year, and Wood admits the team is shaping up nicely.
“You look at the players we have signed, they all have experience of playing at the top level,” he added.
“There’s Steph Houghton from Arsenal who we have made our captain and has won the league with Arsenal. Jill has come in and will give defenders a real hard time while all the other girls will bring something to the team.
“We’ve got the spine of the team sorted, and we feel we are on the right lines.
“We want to be competitive so we had to make some good signings and we’re happy with what we have done.”
