Ladies’ Section

Football not only gives you the buzz of playing competitive sport, but it’s a great chance to make new friends and a fun way of keeping fit as part of a healthy lifestyle. Today’s England players want to win on the pitch, but also value their roles as ambassadors for the game and that is why they have got behind The Football Association’s aim to get more girls playing football.

Whether you’re a beginner and have never played before, or maybe you’re in your 20s and haven’t kicked a ball for a few years, there is an opportunity for you.

Contact our Ladies’ Section through Mel Tsangarides (pictured below), who as well as playing in the team has an FA Level 2 coaching badge – so she can tell you how to have fun keeping fit and make new friends through The More Beautiful Game.

Training starts at 8PM every Thursday at St Lawrence College, College Road, Ramsgate, CT11 7AE. During these sessions players will be coached on all aspects of the game, helping individuals to improve and reach their potential using the same Player Development assessment techniques used across the remainder of the Club.

Any players interested can either contact Mel on 07502 259 374, e-mail ladies@ramsgate-fc.co.uk or simply attend one of our training sessions or matches. Ramsgate Ladies is the only competitive adult League side in Thanet, and this is a very exciting opportunity for women’s and girls’ football development in the local area. Our hope is to build a strong forward moving team, preventing Thanet from losing talent to clubs outside of the area.

Despite the claim in the Sunday Mirror in June 2011, in a feature celebrating the start of the Ladies World Cup, that Ramsgate’s Ladies were national champions in 1956 (left), Club records show that the Ladies’ team was founded in early 2006 (obviously the Sunday Mirror were not aware of the FA’s ban on ladies’ football from 1921 to 1972). The photo was taken at the Ramsgate regatta in summer 1956 where the Club were celebrating the 1st Team winning the Kent League championship.

After playing some friendly matches the team entered the Kent Division of the South East Counties Women’s Football League for the 2006/2007 season. The team performed well in the League, despite being without a regular coach. They also reached the semi finals of the Kent FA Women’s Cup where, having knocked out opponents from higher divisions including Langton Green and Lordswood, they eventually succumbed to Charlton Athletic Women’s Reserves (although the Addicks fielded a couple of players with national experience.

The 2007/2008 season saw the arrival of well known coach and SECWFL player Angie McLaughlin from Dover and after an erratic League campaign the County Cup run was halted by Millwall Lionesses Reserves. McLaughlin left at the start of 2008/09 to go to the newly formed Canterbury City with a few of the players, and the Ladies struggled without manager or coach until Peter Wright and Dana Penney stepped in and started rebuilding the girls’ confidence near the end of the season. For the next couple of seasons the Rams’ performance remained patchy, and on many occasions struggled to field a full team, but managed to keep going.

For 2011/12 new manager Ricky Ling took over, with Peter Wright assisting, and with a number of new players performances improved, with the girls ending the season as League runners-up (despite their ‘keeper missing several games through injury).

Ramsgate Women's Team