In preparation for the 2024/25 season, Oxford City Women have reached record numbers of those applying for trials and open sessions this summer.
This comes alongside the work of the club and Head of Women’s Football Aliyah Anthony, who have been looking to strengthen the female football pathway across the course of the season.
With 107 senior players having registered an interest in first-team football, and 134 junior players looking towards a place in Oxford City’s grassroots programme, which runs from u8s to u18s, the surge in interest is a testament to how far women's football has come at City over the past year.
Within this, a brand new u16s girls’ team is set to launch, an exciting opportunity for girls aiming for first-team football in the near future.
Aliyah Anthony told Oxford City: “Those numbers are incredible. When I started out as a player it was sometimes hard to find girls to form a team but the interest this summer has been phenomenal, and it shows two things very clearly. One is the pace at which the game is growing globally, and the second is that people in Oxford see this as a place they can enjoy playing structured, competitive football at all levels knowing that our coaches will help get the best out of them”.
It is not only the women’s teams that are working hard towards next season, however, with the men’s first team heading towards a number of pre-season friendlies.
The current schedule consists of 6 games across July and early August:
Saturday 6th July - Barry Town United - Home - 3:00 pm
Tuesday 9th July - Didcot Town - Away - 7:30 pm
Friday 19th July - Oxford United - Home - 7:30 pm
Saturday 20th July - Woking - Home - 3:00 pm
Tuesday 23rd July - Sutton United - Home - 7:45 pm
Saturday 3rd August - Braintree Town - Home - 3:00 pm
Perhaps the most notable game of such a congested fixture list is the Oxford derby on the 19th of July. Oxford United had a very successful campaign in the 2023/24 season, beating Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium last month to earn themselves promotion to the Championship for the first time in 25 years.
United are not the only newly promoted side that City will face, however, with Braintree Town earning promotion from the National League South through the Play-Offs last season, much like City did in the previous campaign.
Therefore, a tough set of fixtures for the Hoops looks set to prepare them well for a strong campaign in the National League North, and it is clear that the ever-growing number of players in over 30 teams across all ages at City is looking towards a positive future for both the male and female game.
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