Article by Fiona-May Swanson.

The summer marked a period of significant change for Curzon Ashton Women, with many players departing, along with the previous coaches, this resulted in the transformation of the team, ready for the 2025/26 season. Below Head Coach Luke Ogilvie provides an update so the season so far…

The Women’s team is now coached by Luke Ogilvie, who described how; “We’ve proactively managed this transition, bringing in a host of promising young replacements and new backroom staff.

While we only had a tight two-week pre-season to prepare the new-look squad for the league campaign, we are fully committed to nurturing the side.”

The team also transitioned to play in the Tameside stadium over the summer, Luke said; “Playing our home fixtures at the Tameside Stadium is a cornerstone for our future plans… the chance to play on this high-quality pitch is a significant draw for players looking to join the club.”

With a number of young players stepping up, the combined atmosphere of returning players with young faces is as Luke described; “creating a great dressing room dynamic.”

The Womens team have recently been incorporated into the wider Curzon Ashton family, and Luke described how; “These changes take time, and our turbulent start and recent results have reflected that.”

The season has not started ideally for the ladies, with 8 games played this season. The season kicked off against Crewe Alexandra FC Women, where the ladies were sadly beaten 3-2.

The ladies’ luck didn’t change with the following 5 games.

However, their luck changed as they faced Fleetwood Town Wrens Ladies 1st, winning 4-2, with goals from Jordon Bailey, Olivia Chan and two from Amy Smith.

“The commitment of the players here is absolute. Their heads haven’t dropped; they are a credit to the club and show increasing determination with every game and training session.

We are actively cultivating a strong, cohesive culture with a shared goal and zero egos in the dressing room- a foundation that will benefit not just the current team, but future generations of players.”

Luke spoke of the teams’ plan to target specific fixtures where they feel they can impose themselves to secure results, as their primary goal is “to work our way out of the relegation zone and maintain our focus on the long-term plan.”

Luke didn’t disagree with the challenging start to the season, agreeing it has undoubtedly been difficult.

“We’ve faced the top three teams in four of our opening eight games. We felt unlucky in our close losses against Crewe and West Didsbury, and narrowly lost in an entertaining, end-to-end game against Bury.”

He however, highlighted the positivity of the Fleetwood game, describing how it cemented the hard work applied in training.

“Despite the difficulty, the resilience of the squad has shone through, especially considering we have used seven different goalkeepers this season due to injuries and availability.”

“Our final league position is simple: to avoid relegation and battle our way up the table, fighting for every single point on offer. We will not waiver in this pursuit.”

The ladies now look ahead to their next game against Poulton Vics FC Ladies at Poulton Victoria Football ground on Sunday 12th October.