Bradford City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Matchday Programme

Today’s opposition: Wolverhampton Wanderers
promotion back to the top flight.
The 2006/07 season was a difficult one,
seeing the club relegated to the Midland
Combination on the last day of the season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers WFC have risen
from modest beginnings to become one of
the Midlands’ best known clubs.
They were formed in 1975 as Heathfield
Rovers, then became Wolverhampton &
Wednesbury Tube before taking on the name
of Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1993. That
season saw them promoted to the top flight
of women’s football - the FA Women’s
Premier League National Division—where
they spent two seasons before relegation.
In 1999 Wolves Women were incorporated
under the Companies Act with several
influential local business people joining the
board, including BBC presenter Jenny Wilkes
(Chair) and former England Women’s Cricket
Captain Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint.
The club developed a strong youth
development programme, with players such
as Rachel Unitt, Jody Handley and Emily
Westwood going on to represent England.
Aston Villa’s European Cup-winning Captain
Dennis Mortimer was appointed Manager in
2000 and was in charge of three Premier
League seasons, narrowly missing out on
A landmark move in 2008/09 saw the women
join the youth teams in being taken on board
by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, as part of
Wolves Community Trust.
The 2011/12 season saw Manager James
Astle’s three year plan come to fruition as his
team did the double. They won promotion
back to the FA Women’s Premier League
Northern Division, where they would stay for
two years before relegation to Midlands
Division One in 2014/15.
Wolves entered a new era in 2015/16 under
the guidance of Manager and Junior Director
Steve Cullis, proud of his family link to the
legendary Wolves Manager Stan Cullis.
With talented youngsters moving through the
ranks, the team achieved a second place finish
in Cullis’s first season in charge.
Meanwhile at junior level the club was
awarded a new FA Girls’ Regional Talent Club
licence, supporting the identification and
development of players with elite potential as
part of the England Talent Pathway.
In October 2016 Cullis took on the role of
Player Development Manager for the RTC,
with Tim Dudding named senior manager.
With both men working together to develop
the player pathway from Under 18s to
seniors, Dudding developed a strong squad
comprising a mix of youth and experience.
Hard work and dedication paid off and saw
the team promoted back to the FA Women’s
Premier League Northern Division in 2017.
14 | FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE | BRADFORD CITY VS WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS