Three seasons ago we recruited a relatively unknown head coach to complete our 'Think Premiership' campaign and lead us back to the Northern Premiership. Paul Cudby promised, when he did that a year after settling in Midlands Combination he would lead us to back to back promotions at the 2010 CCFC end of season awards dinner. I asked him to keep his head down and stabalise ourselves in the Northern Prem, and then we would make a push for it. It was important to me that we should familarise ourselves back in the league we were unceremoniously dumped out of four seasons previously with a load of debt and a heavy heart. He sloped off and hatched a plan with our Director of Football Tom Stack and his team to deliver his commitment. I have a mantra, 'Believe in yourself and you will win'. Tonight we were promoted to the National Premiership at the first real attempt. We did it throught the determination of an incredible team. The players do believe in themselves. The coaching staff have undertaken an incredible job, quietly and out of the spotlight. The back room volunteers have worked hard to satisfy the FA, travel arrangements and everything else that requires a winning team to deliver. For the City of Coventry and Coventry City, this is a huge deal. It means that in the year we host the WFA Cup for the first time, they can proudly say we have one of the top sides in the Country playing in the National Premiership, and in the year we host Olympic ladies football we can be proud of a team playing at the highest level. We have a team of heroes behind the squad, and two important sponsors who have made this success possible. City Link joined us this season and provided a vital injection and formal association with CCFC and Archer Bassett, the Midlands largest letting agency, who in their five years with the club can be proud to say 'we played an important part in Coventry's success'. Alan Malik of bit10 supported us with the best web site in ladies football www.cclfc.co.uk, a fantastic portal to the world. Some of the players who featured tonight have played for the club since they were young girls. Tonight's game and finale to the season was the stuff dreams are made of. Coventry City Ladies provides an environment where the girls of Coventry can realise their footballing dreams. Jade Formaston had to stand down through injury, but was one of the girls who played at The Ricoh Arena in front of 2,500 fans when they played Wolves and 6,000 at the formal opening of the Arena. Her dreams tonight were realised with tears of joy! Club Captain Natasha 'Lynchy' Lynch promised me that she would make us proud and tonight she delivered. The Archer Bassett Player of the Year will be presented at The End of Season Awards dinner on 9th May with a selection of her team mates, please come and meet the players and coaches and offer your congratulations The Ladies end of season celebration for the first time will be held at The Ricoh Arena on 3rd June, where all the players will receive commemorative medals and rightly celebrate. Thank you to our sponsors, our coaches, our back room team, officials and of course our players who I'm incredibly proud. David Singleton Chairman - Coventry City Ladies FC |