Bristol Rovers W.F.C.
| File:Bristol Rovers Gas Girls logo.jpg | |||
| Full name | Bristol Rovers Women's Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Gas Girls | ||
| Founded | 2019 | ||
| Ground | Lockleaze Sports Centre | ||
| Coordinates | 51°29′48″N 2°33′58″W / 51.496769°N 2.566179°W | ||
| Chairman | Adam Tutton | ||
| Manager | Nathan Hallett-Young | ||
| League | South West Regional League | ||
| 2020–21 | 1st in Gloucestershire Women's League, Division One (promoted) | ||
| Website | https://www.bristolroverswomensfc.com/ | ||
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Bristol Rovers W.F.C. are a women's association football club based in Bristol in the United Kingdom, and are affiliated to Bristol Rovers F.C. They are known colloquially as the Gas Girls in recognition of Bristol Rovers' unofficial nickname of The Gas.[1]
History
Bristol Rovers Football Club launched their original women's team in 1998, and although they were successful (rising from the South West Combination to the top flight of women's football in England within five years) the financial situation within the football club in the mid-2000s led to the funding for the women's team being cut and them being renamed Bristol Academy W.F.C. in 2005,[2] eventually being re-branded again as Bristol City in 2016.[3]
In 2019, fourteen years after the name disappeared from women's football, it was announced that a new Bristol Rovers Women's team was being launched in time for the 2019–20 season and that they would be playing in the Gloucestershire County Women's Football League.[4] The launch of the new Bristol Rovers Women's Team was Co-Founded by Club Secretary & Media Manager, Matthew Davies and First-Team Manager, Nathan Hallett-Young. The first team was eventually accepted into Division One of the Gloucestershire League and the development team was granted a place in Division Two and a new logo was commissioned, based on the Bristol Rovers club badge and featuring a female pirate.[5] They play their home games at Lockleaze Sports Centre in the Lockleaze area of Bristol,[6] and are funded by the Bristol Rovers Community Trust.[7]
The first team played their first competitive match on 8 September 2019, a 5–0 win away to Abbeymead Rovers.[8]
The 'Gas Girls' pride themselves on their four key values (Community, Education, Participation & Performance). In its first year, the club was awarded the 'Best Community Football Development Initiative Award' at the 2020 FA Women's & Girls Football Awards. In September 2020, the club also announced a community partnership with Bristol Pride and launched a special edition away shirt. This shirt was later inducted into the National Football Museum collection after being rated the ninth best shirt for the 2020–21 season by the museum who also named it the bespoke women's away shirt of the season.[9][10]
After being top of the league in their first season when the season was annulled on account of the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] in their second season the 'Gas Girls' were crowned champions.[12] On 4 June 2021, it was confirmed that the FA had accepted the club's application for promotion to South West Regional Women's Football League Division One.[13] On 13 February 2022, the club secured back-to-back promotions after a 4–0 victory over Weston Mendip Ladies with the 'Gas Girls' having needed only a point to win the title.[14][15] This success was followed up seven weeks later when a 4–2 victory for the Development Squad saw them clinch the Gloucestershire County Women's League Division Two title.[16]
The 'Gas Girls' campaign for Women's football and support for HerGameToo was encapsulated when Bristol Rovers Women played Forest Green Rovers Ladies for at The Memorial Stadium. The game took place after the men's edition of the fixture. Tickets bought for the men's game included a free ticket for the Women's game in an attempt to increase interest. The result was a resounding success, the score ended 3-1 to the 'Gas Girls' and was played in front of a crowd of 2,247.[17]
Season by season
| Season | League | FA Cup | League cup | County Trophy/Cup | Top scorer | Manager | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Position | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | League only | All matches | |||||
| 2019–20 | Gloucestershire League First Division | N/A[a] | 11 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 6 | 33 | Not entered | Semi-final[b] | 2nd round | Rossana Rocha (10) | Georgia Vandries (17) | Nathan Hallett-Young |
| 2020–21 | 1st | 5 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 16 | Round 1Q | Cancelled | Cancelled[c] | Georgia Vandries (11) | Georgia Vandries (11) | ||
| 2021–22 | SWRWFL Northern Division | 1st | 14 | 1 | 1 | 77 | 12 | 43 | Round 1Q | Quarter-Final (Withdrawn)[19] |
Zoe Fielden-Stewart (19) | Zoe Fielden-Stewart (19) | ||
- Notes
- ^ The 2019–20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of matches and player records still stand for the season, but the league tables were annulled.[11]
- ^ Rovers had reached the semi-final of the Gordon Perrett League Cup in 2019–20 when the season was suspended. The match, which was due to be against Pucklechurch Sports, was never played.
- ^ The Gloucestershire County FA elected not to hold any county cup competitions in the 2020–21 season due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
Players & Staff
First team
- Squad list last updated 12 November 2020[20]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Development team
- Squad list last updated 12 November 2020[21]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club staff
| Name | Role | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan Hallett-Young | First Team Manager | 
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| Javier Gorodi | First Team Coach and Analyst | 
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| Will Dixon | Development Team Manager |
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| Jake Lane | Development Team Assistant Manager | 
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| Paul Mason | Fitness, Strength and Conditioning Coach |
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| Lottie Weeks | Coach |
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| Jack Sully | Goalkeeper Coach |
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| Louis Ross | Sports Psychologist |
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| Matthew Davies | Co-founder, Club Secretary & Media Manager | 
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| Debs Phillips | Matchday Secretary & Mental Health First Aider |
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Honours
First Team
Leagues
- SWRWFL Northern Division: Champions: 1
- 2021–22[14]
- Gloucestershire League First Division: Champions: 1
- 2020–21[12]
Development Squad
Leagues
- Gloucestershire League Second Division: Champions: 1
- 2021–22[16]
References
- ^ Hill, Ryan (2 November 2014). "Bristol Rovers and the Gas tale: What's in a nickname". In Bed With Maradona. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ "'We're just out there to enjoy it' - Bristol Rovers Women's FC look forward to their first football game". ITV News. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Bristol Academy to rebrand as Bristol City Women's FC". BBC Sport. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ Wilf Frith (2 May 2019). "Return of the Gas Girls". She Kicks. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ John Evely (5 June 2019). "Bristol Rovers reveal new Gas Girls logo". Bristol Live. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ Alexander Howick (29 May 2019). "Bristol Rovers female team make return after 14 years". BBC News. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ Having a Gas (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio Bristol. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Martin Booth (9 September 2019). "Gas Girls return with resounding wins". Bristol 24/7. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ "'Gas Girls'/Bristol Pride shirt inducted into the National Football Museum". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ "Object of the week: Bristol Rovers Gas Girls' Shirt". www.nationalfootballmuseum.com. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ a b "AN UPDATE ON THE WOMEN'S FOOTBALL PYRAMID AHEAD OF THE 2020-21 SEASON". The Football Association. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Gas Girls declared as League Champions!". www.bristolroverswomensfc.com. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Gas Girls promotion application has been accepted". www.bristolroverswomensfc.com. 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "'Gas Girls' secure back-to-back League Titles!". www.bristolroverswomensfc.com. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers women: Gas Girls celebrate back-to-back promotions". BBC Sport. 18 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Development Team clinch Gloucestershire County Women's League Division Two". www.bristolroverswomensfc.com. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/hergametoo/status/1518279336557752320. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "GLOUCESTERSHIRE FA COUNTY CUP 2020-21 SEASON". Gloucestershire County Football Association. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ "Gas Girls withdraw from GFA Trophy due to positive Covid-19 cases". www.bristolroverswomensfc.com. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "First Team Squad". Bristol Rovers Women's Football Club. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Development Squad". Bristol Rovers Women's Football Club. Retrieved 12 November 2020.