Women's football news
Fans of Lewes FC Women will not need the luck of the Irish to have a good time at the next home match on St Patrick’s Day as the club is putting on a host of Irish themed special events.
Lewes FC Women play Millwall Lionesses in the Championship League on the 17th March at 2pm and the club has promised an action-packed, family-friendly afternoon.
(Adults £8, Concs £4, Under 16s FREE).
St Patrick’s Day is a special day for at least two members of Lewes FC Women as both have played for Ireland’s national teams. Avilla Bergin plays for Northern Ireland and Sophie Perry has won over 50 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
There is cause for optimism about the match on the 17th of March as the team delivered a convincing victory against Crystal Palace at their last match. They won 3-0 on February 21st at the away match, under new manager Fran Alonso, who has made a number of new signings recently. The scoring trio, Sarah Kempson, Jess King and Katie Rood, are all expected to play on St Patrick’s Day, but the line-up will not be confirmed until match-day.
Off the pitch, the club will be celebrating St Paddy’s Day by offering Black Velvet cocktails at the club’s own Rook Inn. Owners of the club are being offered a free Black Velvet and can claim a cocktail by presenting their owners cards to relevant staff on the day.
Lewes FC Director Charlie Dobres said: “We want to make the St Patrick’s Day match a great experience. The football is going to be as hard-fought and exciting as usual and we hope it will be an entertaining day off the pitch as well. There will be an Irish twist to the proceedings so that’s going to be fun. On a serious note, each time Lewes FC wins a game, it is a victory for our equal pay policy and as we are a community- owned club, every pound that is spent at the Dripping Pan is re-invested into the club and our players, as we don’t have to pay dividends to shareholders.”
There are now around 1600 owners of the 100 per cent community-owned, not-for-profit club. It costs £30 per year to become an owner and all owners are entitled to a Lewes FC discount card, as well as other special one-off offers, and an entertaining weekly newsletter. To become an owner, visit www.lewesfc.com/owners
This season’s posters feature inspirational women from the opposition’s locale as well as a Lewes player. Social campaigner Olive Morris, who moved from Jamaica to South London when she was nine, is on the Millwall poster, as well as Lewes player Charley Boswell. Olive Morris was a black rights campaigner who helped found the Brixton Black Women’s Group. Sadly she died when she was just 27 years old after contracting Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The poster was designed by local Pop Artist Chris Arran and posters are available to buy at the club shop.
Children will be able to lead the team out as mascots for free and will be given an opportunity to collect players’ signatures on specially designed autograph sheets. This should make it a memorable day out for children and parents alike.
The Earthquake collective from Newhaven will add to the St Patrick’s Day fun with some entertaining drumming.
Tickets to women’s matches cost £8.00 at the gate but can be bought in advance online for just £7.00. Concessions cost £4.00 (or £3.50 online) and children under 16 go free. Tickets can be bought in advance at LewesFCWomen.com