Rochdale AFC U18 Ladies reign victorious after unbeaten season and league title

Rochdale AFC U18s Ladies finished unbeaten in the league

The Rochdale AFC U18 Ladies team are celebrating after an unbeaten season and winning the Greater Manchester Women's League U18s.

After the reform of the women's football club last season and the decision to remove the open age team, the Under 18s became the focus for a successful rebuild.

Todd Neilson returned as the manager after his success with the team at U16s level, bringing with him Mark Wilson and Mark Williams in to support and provide extra experience.

He said: "The role was a clear one for me; I was brought back to win a title.

“Luckily, I knew the players and what it takes to get it done.”

New additions to the squad, new training facilities and a new desire to win all aligned, with the whole team’s focus and the hard work of the management team paying dividends.

In what was a historic season for the club, the U18s finished unbeaten in the league, subsequently leading them to a league title on 29 April after a 3-0 victory against Cheadle & Gatley.

This was hugely in part to striker Ellie Fergus, who established herself as a player for the future, scoring 76 goals in all competitions.

Neilson added: “I know what it means to everyone at this club, a lot of these girls have been here all their football careers, so having such a monumental season has been really special.”

With the reform of the open age next season, many of the players will move up to try and establish Rochdale Ladies as a force in women's football moving forward.

One exception is Rochdale captain Grace Wilson, who has been given a scholarship in America to play college football at Pratt College, Kansas.