Gwalia United aiming for WSL ‘within five years’

Gwalia United manager Fern Burridge-Male, a former Cardiff City Ladies player, believes the set-up at the club means they are well set-up for success.

“The position we are in, with our history and our heritage and the owners we have who have come in, I think it (the aim of being a WSL side in five-years) is very realistic,” she said.

“We are a unique club, the only Welsh team in the English women’s tier. We are our own entity, not owned by a club with a men’s football team. We are first and foremost a women’s football team.

“We feel that is of real benefit to us. Everything we do, we can decide what is best for us.”

Gwalia are unbeaten in their past three league matches after a slow start to their campaign and they thrashed MK Dons 4-0 last time out at Newport Stadium, where the club play their home games.

“We have recruited heavily in the summer… we are embedding and bringing that all together and that takes time,” Burridge-Male added.

“Success and wins don’t come overnight.”

Co-owner Julian Jenkins says Gwalia’s status as the only Welsh club playing in England means they are a team the whole of Wales can support.

“We want the people of Wales to know that this club is yours,” he said.

“We want to represent the whole of Wales, that is really exciting for us.

“We see this as a legacy project. We can compete at the top level of English football against Chelsea, Tottenham or Manchester United.”