Portsmouth Women have enjoyed a stunning season so far, even before taking the field at St. James Park on Sunday, reaping the rewards for many years of hard work & dedication
It was to be heartbreak at the home of Newcastle United, with a 90th minute winner sealing the Magpies place in the league cup final in front of 22,000.
Sadler’s side sit top of the Southern Premier South, on the verge of a historic promotion to the FA women’s Championship, but It’s not only on the field, but also off the field there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the future of this team.
Now semi-professional, securing players to contracts, training more regularly and with a new home on the horizon once the John Jenkins Stadium is ready to open its doors.
Many fans of The Blues fans would have sat up and taken notice, of what has been a wonderful season for our women’s side. But this is by no means an overnight success story.
Going back to the 2016/17 season that ended with a 6-1 win over QPR, the fixture was played at Fratton Park, with 397 supporters in the Fratton End. There were plenty of joyous faces and high fives, as the players had been given the platform to impress at home of the men’s side.
Unapparent to everyone at the time, except a select few, was the very real threat of team ceasing to exist.
Portsmouth Women (Portsmouth Ladies at this time ahead of the later name change) were a separate club to Portsmouth FC, chaired and funded by Mick Williams. Mick has done all he could to support the club, but was not able to continue moving forward.
Over an uncertain summer, a deal was struck for the team to become integrated into the men's club, saving the women’s side from extinction. Thus ensuring the hard work, time and effort from the likes of Dave Coyle, Mick and Ann Williams as well as many others, would not be in vain.
The club board made it clear that there were no immediate plans to accelerate to success. It was to be a sustainable model, with the plan very much being - growth.
During the main club integration, Eric Colborn was appointed as chairman. Many people around the club know Eric and his input into Pompey over many, many years. Above all he is a wonderful person, who couldn’t do enough for the team and staff, as well as taking the time to greet every supporter who he passes on matchdays.
Staying on with Eric on the board was Bill Griffiths, the club secretary, bus driver and all round superhero. Bill has taken on all manner of jobs and would do whatever he could to support everyone involved. Helen Chivers as club treasurer, probably had the hardest job anyone can have at a football club, telling people no to what they want.
Head of media content Max Swatton has gone on to achieve great things in his industry, now fronting the men’s social media output. Max ‘cut his teeth’ with the women’s side and has been instrumental to raising the profile of the women’s game in the Portsmouth area. The fact he still continues to be at the forefront of Pompey Women's media tells you a lot about his commitment to the cause.
The impressive coverage of the team goes hand in hand with the growing support base.
Leading the charge for many years has been Ian Chiverton, along with his daughter Abby. ‘Chiv’ and Abby have travelled far and wide to support the team, whilst also raising the profile of The Blues with ‘Pompey Women’s Vlogs’ that is uploaded weekly on YouTube. We have also seen the ‘Minty Army’ come on board and the side now have a healthy away following like never seen before. Over 200 supporters took the mammoth journey to the North East on Sunday, numbers that would have been unimaginable in times gone by.
There are many, many volunteers who have done and continue to contribute, all of whom should be highly commended. These amazing volunteers have given up their time and effort, to offer their services to the club for no monetary gain. All these people deserve the highest praise for the role they have played on Portsmouth Women's journey.
As was the board blueprint, the club plan was for growth and ‘brick by brick’ that has taken place over the years.
A partnership struck with Pompey in the Community, saw the girls JPL sides and BTEC students given a pathway to senior football. This has produced the like of Mia Adaway & Freya Jones over the years to name just a couple.
We have seen the club shop stocking Pompey Women's own strip, with a different design to the men’s side, including the rather popular mint strip. The club now has season ticket holders, something that had previously never been on offer.
The behind the scenes upward trajectory has coincided with the success and exposure generated by the Lionesses. But you still need the people behind the scenes to drive the Women’s game and team forward.
In Head Coach Jay Sadler, the club have been blessed with an exceptionally talented, driven and hard working character. Sadler has had to endure some ups and downs throughout his tenure, that now surpassed 200 games in charge.
Before the Havant & Waterlooville ground agreement and the JJ stadium construction, the team have played home games far and wide. Without having a place to call home, in attempts to get matches played Portsmouth Women have gone as far as Littlehampton to play a ‘home game’.
The gaffer is now employed in a full-time position at Fratton Park, but through his time with the club he has always put the hours in. Having worked with Jay, I have seen the passion and commitment he brings tirelessly to create a high-performance environment.
On the pitch, we have seen the team finish in the top 3 last year, reach two consecutive league cup semi finals and are on the verge of a league title.
For context of the growth we have seen during Sadler’s time in charge off the pitch, at the end of his first season a 3-1 home defeat to Coventry United was played out in front of 76 spectators at Petersfield's Love Lane. Fast forward to this season, in a top of the table clash versus Hashtag United, 1,247 Pompey supporters were there for the massive 2-1 victory at West Leigh Park.
The team have also played 7 fixtures at Fratton Park over the years, with 6 of them coming during Sadler's reign. This is by no means a coincidence, Sadler has always pushed the boundaries and knocked down doors to champion his side.
Often having to recruit players from beyond the city, it would be his personality that would sell the club with no financial incentives previously available. The same applies to the backroom team, who also have given the club countless hours and time away from their families to help the side.
The recruitment policy over the last few years, has seen the boss bringing in young, hungry talent with the potential to improve on the south coast. That talent coupled with experience the likes of Rutherford and Haughton bring to the table, has seen The Blues enjoying remarkable success.
You also need a coach that can deliver a product that the fans can enjoy and believe in. Jay Sadler’s team over the years have always been on the front foot, exciting to watch and play with high intensity.
The squad have produced some amazing performances and results throughout the campaign, notably the 2 recent wins away at Ipswich, hammering Oxford on their own patch, dispatching Chatham Town with ease at WLP - This team is ruthless.
But they also understand their duty as role models to the next generation, they inspire with performances on the pitch and engage with their supporters off it. Aspiring young girls, who dream of becoming footballers now have the real prospect of lining up at Fratton Park & playing in front of crowds of thousands for The Blues.
Should Portsmouth Women achieve promotion, it will be the culmination of years of hard work from the unsung heroes behind the scenes, the management team, the board and of course a wonderfully talented squad.
This is a Portsmouth side the city and its supporters can be very proud of. Let's hope for a double promotion celebration come May.
