Bulls Women's UK debut 'pivotal' moment for Jersey football

Jersey Bulls Women will host Old Tiffinians in their debut game at Springfield on Sunday

Jersey Bulls Women's first-ever match in an English league this weekend has been described as a 'pivotal' moment for the game in the island.

Bulls host Old Tiffinians to kick off their debut campaign in South East Counties Women's Football League Surrey Division One on Sunday.

It is the first time a women's football team from Jersey has competed in an English league and comes six years after the club's men's team made their debut.

They follow Guernsey FC Women, who played their first game in Southern Region Women's Football League Division One South last month.

"There's been a lot talk for many, many years, obviously the girls academy came which was really good, but I think this is quite pivotal now," Bulls captain Holly Sundby told BBC Radio Jersey.

"It bridges the gap when girls choose, 'do I want to do football or netball?' We've got that opportunity to give them off-island games and that is massive to keep them in the game."

Chad Morris continues to be the Jersey FA's representative team manager, as well as running Jersey Bulls

Bulls will begin life in the seventh tier of the English pyramid as the island's best players get more matches away from the local domestic league.

Many of the side were part of the Jersey squad that finished sixth at this summer's Island Games - where an opening day loss to eventual gold medallists Bermuda dented their hopes of making the medal rounds.

"It's going into the unknown a little bit," manager Chad Morris said.

"I've spoken to some of the managers, for instance the side who we're playing on Sunday got relegated from the league above last year, we've spoken to the managers who played against them so we've got a bit of a rundown on them.

"But in this league we're in players turn around quite a bit, so they've already signed 10 new players, so we'll prepare as best we can with another plan that it could be a completely different set of players to what we're expecting come Sunday."

Jersey Bulls Women follow the club's men's side in becoming the first teams from the island to play in the English league system

Morris hopes that the team will also inspire players in Jersey to try and break into the Bulls side - with the club operating the island's girls academy while also keeping tabs on local clubs playing in the island's domestic league.

"What we have said to the squad is it's not a closed shop," he said.

"We've already had a player come over from England who played at a good level over there who's come straight into the squad.

"There's going to be academy players that when they hit 16, and if they're at the level, they'll come in and then particularly the local players playing for their clubs.

"When we're not playing we go out and watch them all the time and any of them who shine, they'll be invited to come into the squad as well."

And as well as trying to raise the levels of those players left on the island, Morris says he wants those who are in his squad to use the Bulls to improve their football careers as well:

"It'd be great for us to do well and go up the leagues.

"But what would be even better is younger players going even further than that and using us as a platform to go on to higher and higher things and play for bigger and better clubs in England."