THE CHAIRMAN of Coventry City Ladies says the club have not lost all hope of pursuing their ambition of playing in the Women's Super League.
The Sky Blues missed out on a spot to play in the new two-tier system earlier this year after being overlooked by the FA.
It is understood their bid was largely unsuccessful because of the distance between themselves and the men's side.
But Bill Newnes has confirmed it is still his objective to get the club playing at the highest level in women's football.
And he is confident the foundations are being put in place to be re-considered in the not too distant future.
He said: “We have plans of gaining a licence to play in the Women’s Super League in the future.
“When we look at some of the clubs who gained licences and their current results then we have no concerns that we could compete in the Super League and perform a lot better.
“We have a great structure and dedicated staff and players in place.
“Our first and reserve teams are currently top of their tables respectively and we always have players approaching us for trials so we must be doing something good.
“We have a very good junior set up and have some very good players coming through.
“These younger players will help to strengthen our senior squad in the future and hopefully secure further success for the club.”
Immediate success is also high on the agenda for Mr Newnes this season.
New manager Craig Nicholls took over from Chris Holloway in the summer and has endured respectable start in the Premier League Southern Division.
Five wins, two defeats and two draws leaves the Sky Blues sitting third ahead of this Sunday's trip to West Ham United.
“We have our sights set on winning this league and with our current league position then I feel we are on the way to achieving our goal,” Mr Newnes continued.
“It was always going to be difficult for any new manager joining the club after having to follow two of the best managers in the game but Craig has made a positive impact and the players are all behind him and learning new skills.
“The players are all fired up and every one of them is committed to wining this league.”
Mr Newnes also echoed previous calls for sponsorship opportunities to help keep the club financially secure.
He added: “It is always difficult to raise funds but this last twelve months has possibly been the hardest for us.
“We are reliant on player fees and contributions from individuals but this still falls short of what we require to see the season out.
“We are the top female football club in Coventry and we need the businesses of Coventry to get behind us.”
For more information about sponsorship opportunities email Mr Newnes on chairman@cclfc.co.uk