# Colchester United W.F.C.

Colchester United Women's Football Club, commonly referred to as The U's unless distinguishing themselves from the men's team, is an English women's association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England formed in July 2023. The club plays in the Premier Division of the Essex County Women's Football League, the ninth level of the English women's football league system.

## History

After a ten-year absence of a women's football team at Colchester following the folding of Colchester United L.F.C., Colchester United Football in the Community unveiled plans to reform a women's team in time for the 2023/24 season in June 2023. Trials were held at Shrub End Sports Ground over three consecutive weeks, with successful players being informed of their position in July 2023. The founding of Colchester United W.F.C was confirmed at CUFC's Annual Open Day held at the Colchester Community Stadium on Sunday 16 July along with the appointment of Luke Worley as head coach.
Pre-season friendlies took place during August 2023. The team's first match of the season took place against Chelmsford City Reserves on Sunday 10 September, The U's winning 11-0. The U's completed the seasion undefeated in all division matches.
Coach Luke Worley stepped down from the role of head coach in December 2023, with Simon King filling the position in February 2024
The team successfully entered Round Three of the BBC Essex County Cup following victories over Frontier Ladies First (3-0) and Toby Ladies First (2-0) but suffered a 8-0 defeat to FA National League side Billericay Town Women Reserves.
The U's defeated Southminster United Ladies First on 19 May 2024 in the League Cup Final (winning 6-0), after beating Premier Division team Chelmsford City Women in the semi-final. This meant that they secured the Double in their first season in addition to being undefeated in all league matches.
On 26 February the club announced through its Instagram page that Simon King had stepped down as head coach due to personal reasons after one year in charge. King had lead the team to promotion and a League Cup victory in their first-ever season.

## 2023/24 campaign

See also 2023–24 Colchester United W.F.C. season for fixtures, results and additional stats.
The team played a total of 27 matches throughout the season (excluding friendlies):
League: Played 18 (won 18, lost 0)
Essex Women's Cup: Played 3 (won 2, lost 1)
League Cup: Played 6 (won 6, lost 0)

## 2024/25 campaign

See also 2024–25 Colchester United W.F.C. season for season fixtures, results and additional stats.
As of 10 November 2024, the team is undefeated in all league and cup matches of the season.

## Colours and crest

The team plays in the same kit as worn by the men's team to represent equality and value across both disciplines. For the 2024/25 Season, the home shirt consists of a modern take on the Club's traditional blue and white striped design, while the away shirt is red with narrow blue stripes around the collar, sleeves and underarms, inspired by the mens team's historic success in the 2005/6 season.

## Stadium

Despite originally planning to host matches at their Shrub End training ground, it was announced on 12 September 2023 that their new home ground would be at Colchester Garrison, with full access to the covered seating area and clubhouse before and after matches.

## Players
### First-team squad

For 2024/25 season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Jamie-Louise Newstead (vice captain) |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Jac Craddock-Ball |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Sophie Farrow |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Cassie Craddock-Ball (captain) |
| 5 | MF | ENG | Niamh Gamble |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Ruby Vinton |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Thalia Adams |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Ruby Greenleaf |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Lindsey Morgan |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Emily Ager |
| 12 | MF | ENG | Louise Kaine |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Karys Paton |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Learna Daniels |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Jasmine Cox |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Leah Pope |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Ella Cahill |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Billie-Jo Williams |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Lucy Yewman |

## Coaching staff

* Head Coach: Simon King
* Assistant Head Coach: Milly Morgan
* Goalkeeping Coach: Carl Oliver

## Honours

League
* Essex County Women’s Football League Division Two
** Promoted: 2023/24 (double-promotion to Premier Division)
Cup
* Football League Cup
** Winners: 2023/4