BARNSLEY Women’s FC are hoping to return to their hometown in the near future and continue to progress up the footballing pyramid.
The club was originally affiliated to Barnsley FC but broke away in 2018 to become Barnsley Women’s FC, playing briefly in Wombwell before moving to the Olympic Legacy Park in Sheffield – the former Don Valley Stadium site.
Their youth teams are still based in Barnsley and they are hoping the senior side will go back there at some point, with another promotion to the third tier being their ultimate goal on the pitch.
After the Oakwell club withdrew their team from their league this summer, Barnsley WFC are the only women’s team left with the town’s name.
Chairman Steve Maddock said: “We love Barnsley, we want to come back and we want the people of Barnsley to get behind us.
“We just want to fly the flag for the town and give women and girls a chance to play football.
“We need a ground in Barnsley.
“Being back in the town and in the third tier would be perfect.
“Hopefully some of the Barnsley FC fans will come to watch us and get behind us.
“We’re putting on free buses from Barnsley with Globe Coaches to all our home games next season, and it is only a 15-minute drive.”
The club has been looking for a site in the borough of Barnsley to build a ground and surrounding facilities for years.
Having looked at sites in Kingstone and Hoyland, they have been working on ideas for a ground at Barnsley College’s Fleets site.
Maddock said: “There is nowhere at the moment that fits the FA’s requirements and if we shared with a men’s team they would, understandably, prioritise their own side.
“We spent about £7,000 in planning for a new facility.
“It would be fantastic for the town.
“It wouldn’t be exclusively for us.
“It would be a facility for the whole town with classrooms, a big indoor centre and two astroturf pitches – one that could be used by all the community through the week.
“Funding and planning permission are obviously massive issues, but I would like to think it is still possible.
“When people want something to happen, there is always a way.”
On the pitch, the club is in the fourth tier of English football – the National League Division One Midlands.
They looked on course for promotion in 2020 but missed out when that season was voided due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but are hoping to challenge again for top spot next season.
They are now managed by Craige Richardson, brother of former Rotherham United manager Leam.
Maddock said: “Tier three has always been the aim.
“We would have got that if not for Covid but these things happen.
“We’re making a big push this year.
“We’ve made some big signings already and, if we get a couple more, I think we can win that league.
“You have got to have a goal.”
Barnsley WFC also run an FA Emerging Talent Centre in partnership with Barnsley College.
The club has 13 teams in total, with their youth sides based at the Parkside development in Hoyland.
They are due to field new teams next season – at under seven, under nine and under 21 level.
In a statement after the Oakwell team was disbanded, Maddock said his club was ‘extremely disappointed’ by the news.
The statement read: “Sadly this is another example of a men’s team not being able to continue with their support.
“This is Barnsley Football Club’s prerogative of course, but another reason why this structure is flawed.”
