Guernsey FC women to make history with English league bow

Guernsey FC's women made their competitive debut in 2023, beating Corinthian Casuals 6-1 in the Isthmian League Cup.

Sunday's match for Guernsey FC Women is not just simply their opening match of the season, but a momentous moment in the club's history.

The 2025-26 season is the Green Lionesses' maiden voyage into the English football league system as they compete in the Southern Region Women's Football League Division One South, the sixth tier of English women's football.

Their first match is at the newly-built Victoria Park against Wimborne Town and follows their invincible campaign in the Jersey Football Combination last season, dropping only two points and netting 66 goals, while conceding only eight.

"I think there's a lot of excitement, a lot of chat amongst the group," head coach Anna Gauvin told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"There's also a little chat about being nervous and it's going into a bit of the unknown. You expect the girls to be nervous, but it's all something we've wanted for a long time so definitely some excitement around there too and it means the world to us as coaches as well as the players.

"For people like Katie (Watson – assistant coach) and myself, who have been around the women's game for a long time, we would have jumped [at the chance] to have been in this situation when we were playing."

Anna Gauvin, the head coach of Guernsey FC's women side

Guernsey FC's men first entered the English leagues in 2011 but Sunday will see the first women's side ever from the Channel Islands to play in an English league match, less than two years after they made their competitive debut.

The advancement to the sixth tier is "stage three" of the club's three-year plan to elevate women's football on the island, the club revealed back in July.

"I'm really proud to be able to be part of it, we can't wait to get going," added Gauvin.

"It's testament to Guernsey FC wanting to invest their time and effort into the women's game, seeing it on the rise, seeing the quality that was around, just bringing us all together and giving us almost a stage to perform on.

"We're really pleased that they've given us this opportunity to be part of the club and take the girls to the next level over here in Guernsey.

"[We're] just building for the future now as well so hopefully it's sustainable and we can carry on."

Guernsey FC's match against Wimborne Town kicks off at 14:00 BST on Sunday at Victoria Park.