Pontefract
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Pontefract
SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB LADIES
Pontefract Sports and Social Club Ladies has enjoyed a fine
year in 2018 as they look to progress both on and off the
field. Football Focus Magazine recently caught up with their
manager Garry Willis to find out more.
Involvement
He told us, “ I have been involved
with the club for about three months
now. I came to the club as a free agent
after managing an open age men’s side
for ten years, then I was at a Semi pro
ladies club as assistant in 2017/18.
After I left Castleford White Rose
Ladies at the end of last season I was
basically doing the physio for semi
pro side Glasshoughton Welfare AFC
and working my 9-5 job as business
Development Manager with a medical
company based in West Yorkshire.
Craig Massey the manager rang me
and asked if I was free to talk about a
women’s side he’d started in Pontefract
and if I could give him any advice and
if possible help out with a few things. I
jumped at the chance as it appealed to
me straight away, I felt I still had a lot to
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give as a coach/manager and the timing
and challenge was right, so here we are
now.”
Approach
“The most challenging aspects of my
role at the club is installing the way we
(Craig and myself) want the team to play
and to install in the mindset of the squad
what we require and the standard we
want to play at.
We have a few girls at the club who
haven’t played before and some that
haven’t played for years and some that
have left semi pro clubs or development
sides so we need to pull everyone
together from different levels and put
them on the same level to create the
balance we require and ask of them.
Fitness is important to me and that
again Is on different levels but it’s getting
there; we want to install a culture in the
side that will grow and be appealing to
future players and make players want
to come and be involved with our squad
and it’s working as we gained two from
York City, a couple that have played
with Donny and some from semi pro
clubs so we can’t ask for any more than
what the whole club is doing.”
Progress
“The most rewarding aspect at the
moment is seeing a club go from an idea
to reality and to go from one player to
a squad of 22. That says to me the club
is appealing to players from all over
which is an achievement from everyone
involved. I like to see smiles on faces and
come training or game day that’s what
we have; smiles.