Our Senior First Team and 'A' Team have played at the highest level, catering for players of 14 years and over. We also have a well established Junior section that runs teams at Under 16, Under 14, and Under 12 age groups, all are trained by qualified coaches.

Bradford City Women's Football Club was formed in 1988 when supervisors of the "Football in the Community" scheme at Valley Parade began linking up with local youth centers already involved in training girls. After joining the Yorkshire and Humberside League as founder members in 1989, we won promotion from division two, were runners up in the Yorkshire Plate, and reached the semi final of the knock out cup in our first season. This was the first of many successes, and the club has achieved success at all levels, including the Under 16 Team having the honour of playing at Wembley as a curtain raiser to Bradford City's play off final win in 1996, and promotion the FA Women’s Premier League in 1977.

The club has also played host to visiting teams from overseas, and has produced many players who have played at regional and international level for England, Scotland and Wales.

Written by Catherine Mills, Past First Team Captain and Recruitment Officer.

Some of you may already know that Bradford City has a women’s team, and some of you may not.

You may be surprised to know that Bradford City WFC was formed in the summer of 1988, so we are now in our 19^th season.

As with most football clubs, there have been ‘ups’ and ‘downs’.

Hopefully we are currently at the start of another upturn in the fortunes of our club.

The club reached it’s peak in terms of league position between 1997 and 1999 when we played in the National Premier League, the highest league in women’s football.

This meant competing against the likes of Doncaster Belles, Arsenal and Everton.

Today, some teams in women’s soccer are semi-professional, for example Fulham and Arsenal.

Since relegation from the National Premier League in 1999, we have slipped down the leagues to our current position.  This is due in part to some of our best players moving on to other National Premier League clubs.  This is no different to the men’s game, when players are chasing international honours, as some or ours were.

Several of our players have represented their regions and countries whilst playing for BCWFC.

Many other players have remained loyal to the club throughout their careers.

For some, like myself, it is because of a love for Bradford City FC (at least 2 of us have 25 year season tickets, and many go to watch City week in, week out) and therefore a love for Bradford City WFC.  I am very proud to go out onto the pitch on Sunday afternoon wearing Claret & Amber and give my all.  Just like I see the men do at Valley Parade on a Saturday afternoon?!

Our longest serving player, Claire Popplewell, is a L**ds fan but this hasn’t stopped her playing for BCWFC for 15 years and making more than 300 appearances and scoring more than 100 goals.  She took only a brief break from playing in 1994 in order to have a baby.

Another of our long serving players is Lorraine Kennedy.  Through the years she has consistently been one of the club’s outstanding players, playing in virtually every position at one time or another.  Off the pitch too she has filled several roles.  She jointly managed the club and continued to play as well during our first season in the National Premier League in which we avoided relegation on goal difference.  In taking the Manager’s job Lorraine established a rare double as her father Bobby Kennedy, a member of the great Manchester City side of the 60’s and a former Scotland international himself, had actually managed Bradford City AFC between 1975-1978.  Lorraine has played international football for Scotland, but is now heavily involved in the coaching side of the game.  She has achieved her UEFA B Licence coaching qualification and coaches at all levels of our club as well as the Under 8s boys at Bradford City AFC.  Lorraine is held in high regard throughout our club and is an ideal example for our young players to look up to.

Our Youth policy is one of the strongest aspects of the club.  We cater for girls from 7 years old and upwards.  You are never too old to play for BCWFC, whether you’re in your teens or your forties.

We have teams at many levels: Under U12s, U14s, U16s, an ‘A’ Team and a First Team.  The ‘A’ Team is our second senior team but not referred to as Reserves or 2^nd team because we don’t refer to anyone as a ‘reserve’.  We are all for team spirit and so are all part of the senior squad.  A senior is anyone over the age of 14.  All the junior teams play their games on Saturday mornings and the senior teams play on Sunday afternoons.  Home is presently Rawdon Meadows at Apperley Bridge, though we have been nomadic over the years calling at Peel Park, Horsfall Stadium (Bradford Park Avenue), and Nethermoor (Guiseley AFC).

Training is at Thornton Recreation Centre on Thursdays.  All training sessions are conducted by various qualified coaches.

There is a social side to the club and we hold events throughout the year.  We have a Christmas party, and an end of season Player of thee Year awards night.

At times we have the need to do some fundraising for our club, as the financial demands for running several teams soon mount up when you consider fees for things like training pitches, match day pitches, transporting players, referee’s fees, equipment, and insurance for our players.  If anyone would like to get involved in any form of sponsorship then please do not hesitate to come forward!

We wear Claret & Amber of Bradford City and represent the City of Bradford.  Although we have no official links with Bradford City AFC at the moment, we have recently had correspondence back from the club and hope to build bridges and relationships in the near future.

If anyone would like further information about the club or is interested in playing, or knows someone who is, then please get in touch. (See our contacts page.)

Our club motto is ‘Fun, Fitness and Friendship!’