Ross Juniors Under 15s will become the first team in the history of the club to compete in the Welsh Girls league next season.

With no Under 15s league in Herefordshire, or the surrounding counties, to keep the team together the club sought permission from the Herefordshire FA, the Football Association in London, and the South Wales Football Association to play in next season’s South Wales Women’s & Girls’ League (SWWGL).

The SWWGL clubs and committee welcomed Ross Juniors at last month’s AGM, and now the team is all set to play in Wales from September.

The girls have just completed an excellent season playing 11v11 football for the first time, finishing third in the Gloucestershire league. The girls recently sampled 11v11 Welsh football by travelling to last season’s Welsh Division 2 Champions Coed Eva Athletic, in Cwmbran, and emerged 4-1 winners in a fun and competitive match.

Most of the team continue to compete against girls who are a year older, making enjoyment and improvement the key aspects of the football experience. They continue to be the only Herefordshire-based girls’ team in the entire county, at their age group, who play the 11v11 format of the game. The main benefit of keeping the girls together this season is that they are on course to become the first full team of Ross Juniors girls who have played together right through from U8s to women’s football. In two years, they will be eligible to play women’s football, and with this team leading the way, and other strong age female groups to follow, the club is very excited by the prospects of its women’s section.

Thank you to Alpha Property Management & Lettings for their sponsorship of the team’s kit this past season. See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.