The Office. Reimagined. Discover Fora Station Road, a workspace to make your everyday extraordinary. foraspace.com/hellocambridge
I’d firstly like to start by welcoming Norwich City players, staff, and supporters to The Cledara Abbey Stadium this afternoon.
Norwich have had a fantastic season and are still unbeaten in the league as they chase promotion to tier 3, and we all know today’s game will be a stern test.
The season so far has been a good one overall, with good progress in the league and a Women’s National League Plate final to look forward. Recently we have been affected by numerous injuries, but the positive from this has been players from the U18’s squad being part of match day squads, and in the case of Lily Horsler and Holly Plummer making their 1st team debuts last week. Developing players who are capable of being regular starting players at tier 4 is important to our
future progress, so we hope to see more of Lily, Holly and others in the coming seasons.
The last three games have been tough ones for us results wise with the draw against London Seaward the only point from those games. However there have been plenty of positives, and we can count ourselves unlucky not to have more points from that run after conceding a late equaliser to London
“THE FINE MARGINS ARE WHAT OFTEN DECIDE GAMES AND SO NOW OUR TASK IS TO MAKE SURE WE MAKE THOSE FALL IN OUR FAVOUR.”
“ WE HAVE ALMOST DOUBLED LAST SEASONS LEAGUE POINTS TOTAL, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE SURPASS THAT TARGET IN THE REMAINING FEW GAMES.”
Seaward, and we could have taken points from Worthing last week with two great chances late in the game.
The fine margins are what often decide games and so now our task is to make sure we make those fall in our favour. We have almost doubled last seasons league points total, and we want to make sure we surpass that target in the remaining few games.
Looking forward past today’s game, we have made it to a National final for the first time in the history of the club. The League Plate final will be played at Broadhurst Park, home of FC United of Manchester, on Sunday 21st April where will face Derby County. I know distance
wise this is not a local trip, but please consider coming to support the team in what is a historic occasion. The semi final against Barnsley was a brilliant day and atmosphere and this game promises to be even better! The more noise that we can have in support of the team, the better!
Our run to the final has shown so much resilience and fight, from scoring late in extra time to beat Keynsham, through to winning 1-0 away to Maidenhead in the quarter final and of course beating Barnsley 3-2 in the semi final.
We will of course be the underdogs against a good team in the league above, but I know one thing I can be sure of with these players is they will go there and give their all to represent the team and the club. Lastly I’d like to say congratulations on behalf of all of us to Sarah Wiltshire and her husband Steve on the recent birth of their son Laker.
We look forward to seeing you all at games, and to welcoming Sarah back on the pitch! Enjoy today’s game, and please make as much noise as you can!
Welcome everyone to today’s game and a warm welcome to our visiting players, staff and fans from Norwich. It’s great to be back at the Abbey as we near the end of the season hosting one of our local rivals.
It has been a good season for the Women’s section with some strong performances in the league and a great achievement to reach the final of a National Competition later this month. Our newly formed Under 18’s have had a strong season and are currently 2nd in the league having also reached the final of the County Cup.
This year was all about development and progress of our Women’s section and we have made some great strides improving the quality of the overall squad and staff but also developing our young talent some of whom have made the step of to the first team, a great achievement.
For Women’s football generally this season we have seen great strides with record attendances at many Club’s and the number of women and girls participating in football seeing record growth. We hope that today we can inspire the next generation of young players to keep practising, having fun and one day be a future U or Lioness! I hope you and your families enjoy the day and make lots of noise!
Come on you U’s!
“For Women’s football generally this season we have seen great strides with record attendances at many Club’s and the number of women and girls participating in football seeing record growth.”
The Canaries were formed in 1998 when local rivals Norwich Ladies and Norwich Racers joined forces. The former team are still the only Norwich side to have lifted the FA Cup trophy, which was won in 1986 after a dramatic lastgasp winner against the favourites, Doncaster Belles.
The club moved to its current home ground
The Nest in the 2020/21 season, after moving out of the previous home of Plantation Park.
The 2021/22 season saw the club formally integrate into the men’s first team under the guidance of executive director Zoe Ward. This strategic move saw overall operation and control of the Norwich City Women teams brought in-house with the aim of driving further development and progress in this area.
The appointment of general manager Flo Allen has provided structure and organisation to the club, supporting the squad on a day-to-day basis.
The Canaries have collected plenty of silverware to their name, including seven Norfolk County Cup trophies, last won in 2023 after a 3-0 final win over Mulbarton Wanderers. The club were particularly proud to follow the 2022 Women’s Euros coverage, especially of Norfolk-born Lauren Hemp, who started her youth footballing career under the guidance of Norwich City Girls Centre of Excellence.
The 2023/24 season saw seven new signings to the squad, following the return of some familiar faces and specially selected individuals brought in to further the squad’s talent.
This campaign has been a particularly impressive one for the Canaries, who have been battling it out at the top in a promotion push and remain undefeated in the league for the entire season. A County Cup final is also in the cards later this
season, as Norwich will be looking to claim their eighth title as champions of Norfolk. City have also hosted two packed out fixtures at Carrow Road, with over 10,000 fans in attendance across both occasions.
NATASHA SNELLING
Top-scorer Tash has been a huge part of the Canaries’ successful 2023/24 campaign, claiming 17 goals in all competitions this season, including five braces and one hat-trick.
Having previously played for Hethersett and Coltishall, she has won the League Cup once and County Cup three times with Norwich City.
CERI FLYE
Ceri joined the Canaries in the summer of 2022, having played for Cambridge City for eight seasons prior. The centre-back has been a key part of City’s defence all season, only missing out on a place in the starting 11 through injury and netting from centre-back on one occasion in the Women’s FA Cup against Boldmere St Michael.
ELLIE SMITH
City’s number nine has been clinical in front of goal this season, netting most memorably against Southern Premier side Hashtag United in the FA Cup and at Carrow Road against QPR last month.
She played for Norwich’s youth teams from the age of 11 to 16, before spending four years playing in America and then returning to the Canaries. She was voted Player of the Season for the 2022/23 season.
ELOISE MORRAN
Eloise is in her second season as a Canary, joining from the club’s Player Pathway in December 2022 at just 16 years old.
The prolific midfielder also recently had her first international call-up, joining the Scotland Women’s Under-19 side for training camps and European qualifying.
App you open in the morning Instagram
Footballer you idolised Steph Houghton
CD you owned Now Thats What I Call Music 77
Football Shirt you owned Man United
Thing you would do if you won the lottery
Pay off my parents mortgage and save for a house
Major international tournament you remember 2010 world Cup
Thing you do when you get home from training
Go straight to sleep because I’m exhausted!
Thing you bought Petrol… got to get to training some how
Meal you ate Scrambled Eggs on toast
Person you text My mum
Match you went to as a fan
Chelsea vs Arsenal Women at Stamford Bridge
Thing you watched on TV Love is Blind
Good Deed
Volunteered from 9-9 at my sponsors business as they were low on staff
Photo you took
The view from our seats at the game
Check out the U’s matchday mixtape which will be played before kick-off and at half-time on Sunday!
SCAN / CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
For Mobile & Tablet
Note: Spotify needs access to your phone’s camera
1. Open the camera app on your phone
2. Point your camera at the code above
3. Tap to scan
Welcome to the Cledara Abbey!
I always look forward to watching our women’s team play here. It’s very special for them, and something I never imagined could happen when I wore the amber shirt for the original women’s team in the 90s. Our matches were on Coldham’s Common! The club has moved on massively since then, which makes me very proud.
This afternoon you’ll see me walking round with our Her Game Too selfie board. Cambridge United became one of the first professional clubs to become a partner of Her Game Too in October 2021.
Her Game Too is a voluntary organisation run by female football fans committed to raising awareness of abuse and discrimination that females face in the sport.
“Since
its formation in May 2021, our aims and objectives have expanded; we champion women and girls in their roles and achievements in football, supporting their involvement on and off the pitch”
Working with clubs and other organisations, we aim to end sexism in football, making is a safer space for girls and women.
Since its formation in May 2021, our aims and objectives have expanded; we champion women and girls in their roles and achievements in football, supporting their involvement on and off the pitch, and in the stands.
We are now partnered with 74 of the 92 professional clubs across the EFL and PL, and with over 260 grassroots clubs, and partnerships with organisations around the country.
In February, Darren Marjoram became the campaign’s first Manager Advocate. He’s been involved in girls’ and women’s football for 15 years, and his enthusiasm and commitment to women in football makes him perfect for the role.
Recently, we announced that Lauren Webb and Alysha Stojko-Down have also joined my HGT team as Player Advocates. Using their own experiences of playing football, they both bring passion and a desire to bring about positive change.
Along with my Advocate, long-term supporter, Anouska Wright, we have a strong team at Cambridge, all here to support, advise and help all female Cambridge United fans. You can get in touch at any time by using the contact details below.
Enjoy the game. UIE.
Emma Smith
Cofounder of Amber Belles Supporter Group
Her Game Too Ambassador for Cambridge
United FC
theamberbelles@cambridgeunited.com
@theamberbelles (X and Instagram)
The 2023/24 season has been a great year for the U’s in many ways, but perhaps most significantly they have made their first national final in the form of the FA Women’s National League Plate Final. This is our journey to get there!
After starting our FA WNL Cup journey off with a difficult loss on home soil to today’s opponents – Norwich City, the U’s proceeded onto the secondary Plate tournament, which saw them face off against London Actonians 5 weeks later, this time on opposition turf. This time round, the U’s claimed the win with a 2-1 victory over the Actonians, with Rachel Kosky and Alysha Stojko-Down each putting one in the net.
The following round saw the U’s return to St Neots Town FC where they faced Keynsham Town, once again claiming another 2-1 victory over the visitors, this time with Ruth Fox and Bella Simmons scoring the two goals for the
U’s! This vital win led the women to the Plate Quarter Final where we drew Maidenhead United.
Once again on the road the U’s rose to the occasion against the ever-increasing difficulty of their opponents, and claimed a 1-0 victory after a tight fought battle against the home team. The game was a dead heat for the first 45 minutes, with great defending on both sides limiting shots on goal to only a few attempts. In the second half, a throughball to Alysha Stojko-Down led
“Once again on the road the U’s rose to the occasion against the ever-increasing difficulty of their opponents, and claimed a 1-0 victory after a tight fought battle against the home team.”
to a penalty being given after she was taken down inside the Penalty area – a critical moment which gave us victory in the Quarter Final.
The came the Semi-final – the furthest Cambridge United Women have ever reached in the competition. The draw came in as a home fixture against a very strong Barnsley Women FC side. Taking to the Premier Plus Stadium in St Neots, the U’s came out flying with Rachel Kosky tucking one away in the 6th minute of the match. An equalizer from the visitors took us to half time all-tied. United’s composure in the second created numerous opportunities, one of which found the netting from Bella Simmons. An excellent off-balance shot with pressure from each side took the U’s back into the lead.
to play, and made an immediate impact, a great through ball fed Ruth an opportunity on goal which she capitalised on, only to extend the lead to 3-1
A late goal from the opponents piled the pressure on for 5 remaining minutes of the game, however the U’s showed outstanding composure and held onto the victory in front of a large home crowd. Having already reached a landmark stage in the competition, the U’s continued to make history progressing to the FA WNL Plate Final!
The U’s will now face off against Derby County in the FA WNL Final. A fierce opponent from the division above United, however if we have learned one thing from our FA Plate journey so far it is that we can compete on the big stage!
The neutral venue was drawn as Broadhurst Park, the home ground of FC United of Manchester. The fixture will be held on Sunday 21st April, with Kick off at 2:00pm.
We would love to see as many U’s fans take to the roads and join us in Manchester as we look to cap off what is already a historic achievement for the club!
Come on the U’s!
We work closely with other clubs to ensure our players get valuable gametime, where they can develop and gain experience. A big thank you to all the clubs we work with for supporting our players in getting them fit and providing them with a deeper skillset.
