Andrea Parkinson, manager of the Chesterfield FC Women’s team, has spoken of her delight after they were awarded promotion to the North-East Regional Women’s Football League.
As they prepare to take part in the Southern Division One, Andrea said: “It was amazing news; it really was a delight and a surprise!
“I found out through an email saying ‘congratulations’ and I jumped out my chair with joy, it made me so happy. It’s exactly what the girls deserve and credit goes to them.
“I was proud of everyone associated with the team; we deserve it and the girls have worked so hard for it. I really am over the moon with promotion.
“On a personal note, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in my first year of first-team management but I will also pass the credit over to my girls.”
Andrea gave her thoughts on the season just gone and gave credit to the league winners.
“Promotion was never the aim at the start of the season,” she said. “We were honestly just aiming to get a team together and get out on the grass for our first league campaign.
“When it became apparent promotion was a serious possibility, we ramped the pressure up a little and put the girls to the task which they succeeded in doing.
“Finishing second put us in a good position to apply for promotion and only losing four games in the league gave us a good platform.
“I have to give credit to the league winners though, AFC Bentley who ran away with the league, not losing a game all season.
“Fair play to them because their achievement is massive. They deserve it and congratulations to them.”
The women’s team were only set up at the start of this season, making the promotion even more impressive.
Andrea said: “It’s crazy really because a lot of the other teams in the league have been together for several years, so for us to come in and finish how we did is incredible.
“It shows the talent we have and shows how impressive the girls have been. It’s been a fantastic first season and to achieve promotion is a pretty incredible thing to do in our first year.
“The application process was helped by the game at the Technique Stadium. We were able to put that on there and that really boosted our application so we’re really grateful to everyone who turned up to watch that day.”
Finally, Andrea explained how she kept the news from the squad for a special occasion.
She said: “We had our awards evening last week so I decided I was going to hold on to the news until then to make it an even better night for everyone.
“You have no idea how hard it actually was to keep hold of that information without blurting it out!
“It was so amazing to be able to reveal it in front of everyone though, so I’m really glad I waited.
“I’m so grateful for everything and I’m really looking forward to next season now, it’s going to be fantastic.
“Pre-season is not far away and we’re all itching to get back. Here’s to another successful campaign in the sixth tier of women’s football!”
Everyone connected with Chesterfield FC would like to congratulate the women’s team on their promotion.
