LCFC Women Return To Belvoir Drive As Pre-Season Testing Begins
Ahead of the Club’s first-ever season in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, the top division of women’s football, the players filtered back into the elite training facility, meeting up for the first time since a momentous 2020/21.
Following three days of fitness testing, pre-season training will commence in earnest next week as groundworks for 2021/22 ramp up.
Manager Jonathan Morgan says he cannot wait to step back out onto the pitch and is keen to put the players through their paces to ensure they get to grips with the exertions of competing in one of the best leagues in the world.
He commented: “It’s been a busy summer, we’ve been planning since the Man United game and as soon as that game finished, we turned our attention to the WSL.
“We’re under no illusions that we’re not going to win every single game this season, but we are going to be competitive, we are going to work hard.
“Towards the end of last season we really created a team bond and togetherness which was quite clear on the pitch and we want that to carry on into this season.”
Several members of the FA Women’s Championship title-winning squad have been retained or signed new contracts over the summer and are now tasked with leading the Club into its first WSL season, which will kick off in just under two months’ time.
Defender Sam Tierney, an almost ever-present in 2020/21 with 25 appearances is all competitions, says the squad are all ready to get down to business.
“It’s been nice to have a break, it was well deserved and well earned,” the 22-year-old told LCFC TV. “It was a fantastic year for us last year, but I think more importantly, mentally resetting ourselves.
“It’s going to be a very tough year this year and we’re going to come up against different challenges. But I think we’re all looking forward to it so hopefully we can come back in, be in good shape and really push on from there really.”
The release of the new fixtures is also eagerly anticipated, with City keen to find out their first opponents, who they will face between 3-5 September, less than a month before the 2020/21 Vitality Women’s FA Cup Quarter-Final clash against Manchester City.
In just their second year of being a full-time, professional outfit, the Foxes are set to come up against WSL champions and UEFA Women’s Champions League finalists Chelsea, as well as the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in the 12-team league.
Before then, though, it will be full steam ahead on the training pitch, as City look to hold their own in the top-flight.
LCFC.com will be the place to find regular updates from LCFC Women's pre-season schedule over the coming weeks.