Tonbridge Angels Football Club is delighted to announce the launch of its women's first team who will play matches at the Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium next season.

The team will enter the South East Counties League for the 2023/24 season with ambitions to progress through the Pyramid and establish itself as one of the primary women's clubs in Kent.

The team will be managed by UEFA B-licensed coach Joe Rowe. Joe is local to the area and has quickly formed an impressive reputation at all levels of women's football in Kent. Joe was part of the coaching team at Aylesford FC for three years, managing both their 1st and 2nd teams and most recently has been First Team Coach at Gillingham Women. Joe says: "I'm really pleased to be involved in setting up Tonbridge Angels Womens’ at what is a very exciting time for the club more broadly. Living in the local area, I've become an Angels supporter myself over the past few seasons, and so am excited to be part of the club. From speaking with Sophie and hearing about the clear ambitions the club has for its Womens’ section, it was an easy decision for me. Danny and I are very much looking forward to working together to build a competitive side that matches that level of ambition, while helping to secure a pathway into adult football for local girls, something which we both feel strongly about."

Assisting Joe is Danny Turner. Danny also has a UEFA B licence and has played a key role in the development of girls football in the town having managed the Tonbridge Junior Jets team from Under 11 through to Under 16 age group. Danny's role in the section will see him promote his passion for developing local young talent.

Tonbridge Angels Chair, Sophie Purves, said: "This is another really exciting phase in the club’s history. We have been working hard to bring this to fruition for many months and to have a women’s team playing at Longmead next season is fantastic. This team will provide a clear pathway for the girls currently playing for Tonbridge Junior Football Club and will give them something to aspire to. We are ambitious and committed to being as successful as possible, which is evident in our appointment of Joe and Danny as our new women’s management team. Both coaches have UEFA B licence and will be setting high standards from the start. We welcome Joe Rowe and Danny Turner to the club and the squad of players they will be assembling over the coming months.”

Finally, Sophie Purves added, “We thank Angels supporter, Dan Couldridge for his help and support in this process and also Reg Spicer and Mark Roberts from Tonbridge Junior Football Club for their flexibility in pitch hire arrangements on a Sunday in order to accommodate our new women’s team.”

Matches will be played at the Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium on Sunday afternoons on our 3G FIFA Quality Pro surface. Admission to matches will be £5 for Adults and free for Under 16s.

Trials for the team will take place in June 2023 and players keen to progress their careers with Tonbridge Angels and with experience of Tiers 5-7 in the Women's Pyramid, can register their interest by completing this form: https://forms.gle/tSpdDrN1aJm7Wskb6

Follow the Women's Team on Twitter @tafc_women - and Instagram @tafc_women