If you’re a fan of women’s football below the Women’s Super League and Championship, then you might’ve noticed that tier three club Liverpool Feds recently released a documentary detailing their 2022/23 season, as well as the challenges facing the club.
A brilliant short documentary put together by Leigh Moore and the ‘Creative Players’ agency, this is a must watch for anybody who holds interest in football outside of the professional game.
The documentary wrapped up filming a couple of months ago but the timing of the release โ as the England national team approached a landmark World Cup final โ should maximise interest and viewership from newer fans of the sport.
As mentioned previously, filming takes place over the course of the 2022/23 Northern Premier Division season. Liverpool Feds had just clinched promotion and this would be their first season at the tier three level. This in itself was a remarkable achievement for a club, who unlike so many others at that level, have no financial backing from a men’s team.
This is clear at the start of the documentary, as a run down of the league shows the Feds competing against teams such as Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Burnley. All clubs with the backing of Premier League men’s sides.
Fighting through financial struggle
Despite admirable performances on the pitch, off it you can really see these financial struggles take their toll. Throughout the documentary you see several moments where various Feds players have a tough time dealing with the financial disparity. Particularly in one scene, star wing-back Ellie Fletcher talks about tearing her meniscus during training. At her previous club Blackburn Rovers, the club would’ve paid for the treatment. Financial constraints at the Feds meant they couldn’t pay, and Fletcher had to source the money through a GoFundMe. She made a full recovery.
Another example is the lack of a gym for the players until February 2023, over halfway into the 2022/23 season. Situations like those highlight the desperate need for increased funding at FAWNL level. This is a tier three club with exceptional players and staff who don’t receive funding basic necessities.
As one of the first lines in the documentary states though: “Tough times in Liverpool have created tough people.” That’s exactly what you’ll find at Jericho Lane.
A team full of quality, strong minded individuals have led the Feds to never before seen heights. This is documented really well through as an insight into the personalities of the players and staff is shown.
Despite all odds being stacked against them and a system that is designed for clubs like The Feds to fail, the club managed to secure survival with a 5-2 victory over Boldmere St Michaels in the penultimate game of the season.
This meant the club could enjoy a final day game against Burnley at the 22,000 seater Turf Moor stadium. You can see players like Mollie Farley’s face light up when talking about this. The hope is that with increased funding from the those that run the game there could be more days like these in the Feds future.
Liverpool Feds kicked off their Northern Premier Division 2023/24 season at home to Burnley at Jericho Lane on August 20th. Tickets for the season can be secured by emailing LiverpoolFedsWFC@gmail.com.
