HOLMER Green Ladies FC are now in our seventh season and we are still going strong, which seems an incredible achievement thinking back to the early days when we could barely scrape enough players together to form a team each week.

We finished the 2004/5 season in third place in the Thames Valley Counties Women's Football League, division two.

We were delighted when this league started in 2002 (when it was known as the Berks and Bucks Women's County League) as it enabled us to play teams more on our level, following two seasons of finishing bottom of the table in the Southern Region Women's Football League (northern division).

It was sheer tenacity that got us through those tough first two seasons in which we lost every single game.

Those original players, some of whom are still in the squad, stuck it out despite conceding an average of about 10 goals in each match, week after week. And it is thanks to them that the club is now firmly established within the community, with more new players coming forward all the time.

The team began as a result of a few mums playing at a Football Funday in Widmer End back in 1999. The experience proved so enjoyable that we decided this was a great way to keep fit and improve our social lives at the same time. Widmer Women FC was formed!

We were lucky enough to find a coach, the gorgeous Graham Chandler, who was a rock in those difficult early days. He believed in us when others scoffed and was delighted to be present at our first ever league win. He now coaches our girls side.

In June 2000, Tim Sturgess enthusiastically took on the role of manager and encouraged us to join the League. In order to do this we had to be able to provide facilities for away teams. Cue Holmer Green Sports and Social Club - offering a pitch, a clubhouse and, of course, the very essential bar!!

So we re-named ourselves Holmer Green Ladies FC and embarked on a very tough debut season. Midway though the season, Tim left to set up a hotel in Bournemouth but he didn't forget us. The following season, he became a very generous club sponsor.

In 2001 our current manager Dave Johnson took over and guided us through a second tough season. But things started to look up in 2002, when we joined the new Berks and Bucks County Women's League and finished in a very respectable third place. Our success was fueled by the enthusiasm and expert guidance of our coach, Dave Thornton.

In 2003, Dave Johnson was ably assisted by football coach Dave Bardi and player coach Collette Bardi and we benefited enormously from their combined expertise at our Saturday morning training sessions.

In 2004 we were guided by the joint efforts of coach Dave Thornton and manager Martin Fountain. This season, Dave Bardi has taken up the manager's post and is assisted by football coach Mike Sunderland.

Training is free, but there is a match fee of £5. Why not come along and join in the fun? Click 'Want to join?' on the menu bar above for more details.