Swindon Town: 'Game-changing' move as women's club integrates with men's

Swindon Women will play some of their home matches at the County Ground this season

The integration of Swindon Town Women with the men's League Two club is a "game-changing move", said director of football Thomas Hartley.

The change means Swindon Town WFC will play some matches this season at the County Ground.

The club play in the FA National Women's League Division One South West, the fourth tier of women's football.

Swindon hope the move will grow the women's team's fanbase and inspire more girls to take up the sport.

"Sustainable is one thing for us, but it's an absolute game-changing move for Swindon Town Women. It's very much the start of a new era for us," Hartley told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

"It means that the running of the club will be integrated over time with the whole club at Swindon Town and it will make the club more inclusive, more accessible and hopefully will see us playing more games at Foundation Park and the County Ground."

Swindon Town WFC was founded in 1993 - then under the name Swindon Town Ladies - and while they have long been affiliated with their male counterparts, the women's side has been run independently of the men's team.

Home matches have been played almost exclusively at Cinder Lane, the home of Gloucestershire neighbours Fairford Town, in recent years rather than in Swindon itself.

Yet the team have played the first two matches of the new campaign at Foundation Park, Swindon Town's training complex and community facility, both of which they won.

"From a training facilities perspective we use Foundation Park right next to the County Ground at the moment, so that is really valuable for us," Hartley said.

"From a personnel point of view it's about collaboration and joining things up. The more and more connections and more and more dots to join just adds strength to us.

"In the short term we'll see and hear more of Swindon Town Women, both through our channels online. But because we're able to play more games at Foundation Park this season there's just more of an opportunity to come along and watch."

Hartley pointed to Swindon Town owner Clem Morfuni, who took over the club last summer, and CEO Rob Angus as being invaluable to getting the two clubs working closer together.

"Their help and vision to see Swindon Town Women become part of the club is fantastic. I think with my role being a new one, as director of football, plus all of the efforts of the existing volunteer committee, has just led to this point where actually we can move the club forward in a way we have never been able to before."

The long-term ambition is to see Swindon Town Women move up the football pyramid.

"The most important thing from that is we've had 200 people come along to each game which is on a par with attendances from the league above," Hartley added.

"With this investment and this integration moving up the leagues from tier four to tier three and beyond is a realistic and achievable goal."

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