100 Women's Games in a Year

  PHEW!!! I did it! 100 women's football matches watched in a calendar year. Probably should be an 'At Last!' in there somewhere too as it's taken me 3 years to get there after I came up with the idea back when I started the blog back in 2013.  

  In 2014 opted for a more modest target of 50 games in a season the SWF Blog 50 Challenge began, the women's football being played for much of the year with the winter leagues and 'summer' FAWSL there was plenty of games to chose from got to 50 with ease in August that year eventually making it to 88 matches. In 2015 I attended almost as many matches again getting to 90. 

 This year it's been 'Game Day (SWF Blog)  #' (then the number of the match and who I'm watching plus a bad pic of the two teams warming up) so you've been able to keep tabs on me and see my progress, helps me keep count too. Getting to watch 100 matches wasn't really a set in stone target, doing what I do I enjoy getting about seeing as much football as I can at all different levels, relocating in the summer of 2015 from Kings Lynn to Swaffham put me more central in Norfolk and alot closer to a dual carriageway which certainly shortened journey times especially heading south. With my other endeavour Women's Football East growing too, more 'local' games being covered as interest increases. The other factor in my favour although most fans would disagree was that the FAWSL fixture schedule was all over the place so the opportunities were there to get to alot of matches. It began....

January

#1 Sunday 3rd - ERWFL Premier Division

Billericay Town Ladies 2-0 Acle United Ladies

 Watched the 1st match of 2016 in the middle of a hurricane! Was one of just 4 fixtures to survive the weather that weekend, all weather pitches might be good for getting a game on but football perhaps shouldn't be played in all weather's, still if that didn't put me off then nothing would. Holding an umbrella, plus a notepad and a camera isn't easy. Billericay Town Ladies winning the game 2-0 against Acle United Ladies 

#2 Sunday 10th - ERWFL Division One North

Bury Town Ladies 2-2 Ipswich Wanderers Ladies

#3 Sunday 17th - Norfolk Women's Division One

Wymondham Town Ladies 0-0 Brandon Town Ladies

#4 Wednesday 21st - Ryman Women's Cup

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 5-0 West Ham United Ladies

#5 Sunday 24th - FAWPL South East Division One

Enfield Town Ladies 1-0 Cambridge United WFC

#6 Sunday 31st Jan - Norfolk Women's Division Two

Kirkley & Pakefield FC Ladies 2-2 North Walsham Angels Ladies

February

#7 Wednesday 3rd - East Anglian Counties Championship

Hertfordshire FA Women 3-4 Kent FA Women

#8 Sunday 7th - FA Women's Cup

Charlton Athletic Women 10-0 Newcastle United WFC

#9 Sunday 14th - FAWPL South East Division One

Cambridge United WFC 1-0 Old Actonians Ladies

#10 Wednesday 17th - East Anglian Counties Championship

Essex FA Women 0-4 Suffolk FA Women

#11 Sunday 21st - Cambridgeshire Women's Invitation Cup

ICA Sports Ladies 3-3 Riverside Rovers Ladies (aet)

ICA Sports Ladies won 3-2 on penalties

#12 Sunday 28th - FA Women's Cup

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 2-3 Aston Villa Ladies (aet)

March

#13 Thursday 3rd - East Anglian Counties Championship

Suffolk FA Women 2-1 Kent FA Women

Suffolk FA Women topping the group to win the East Anglian Counties Championship

#14 Saturday 5th - Cambridgeshire Women's U18s League Cup

Newmarket Town Ladies U18s 4-0 Wisbech St Mary Ladies U18s

#15 Sunday 6th - ERWFL League Cup 

Colchester Town Ladies 4-3 AFC Sudbury Ladies 

#16 Tuesday 8th - FAWPL Southern Division

West Ham United Ladies 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies

#17 Sunday 13th - Hertfordshire Women's County Cup Final

Stevenage Ladies 0-2 Watford Ladies Development U19s

#18 Sunday 20th - Suffolk Women's County Cup

Bury Town Ladies 1-2 Kirkley & Pakefield FC Ladies (aet)

#19 Wednesday 23rd - FAWSL 2

Sheffield FC Ladies 0-1 Durham Women FC

  Started the 2016 FAWSL season at the Home of Football to watch league newcomers Sheffield FC Ladies in their 1st game ever in FAWSL 2 were beaten 1-0 by visitors Durham Women FC on the night.

#20 Thursday 24th - FAWSL 1

Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-4 Chelsea Ladies

#21 Saturday 26th - FAWSL 1

Sunderland AFC Ladies 1-1 Reading FC Women

#22 Sunday 27th - ERWFL Division One Plate

Stevenage Ladies Reserves 3-3 Little Thurrock Dynamos Ladies

April

#23 Sunday 3rd - FAWPL South East Division One

Luton Town Ladies 2-1 Cambridge United WFC

#24 Wednesday 6th - Suffolk Women's League Cup Final

Witnesham Wasps Ladies 0-2 Brantham Athletic Ladies

#25 Sunday 10th - FAWPL Southern Division

Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion Ladies

 Brighton & Hove Albion WFC winning the FAWPL Southern Division title with this result

#26 Wednesday 13th - Cambridgeshire Women's Junior Invitation Cup Final

Cambridge United WFC Reserves 2-1 Wisbech Town Ladies

#27 Sunday 17th - Norfolk Women's County Cup Final

Aylsham FC Ladies 0-2 Thorpe United Ladies

#28 Wednesday 20th - Friendly Match

Bungay Town Ladies 0-1 Acle United Ladies

#29 Thursday 21st - Essex Women's County Cup Final

C&K Basildon Ladies 3-0 Writtle Ladies

#30 Saturday 23rd - FAWSL 1

Liverpool Ladies 2-2 Sunderland AFC Ladies

#31 Sunday 24th - FAWPL Reserve League Cup Final

Blackburn Rovers Ladies Reserves 6-0 Bradford WFC Reserves

#32 Sunday 24th - FAWPL League Plate Final

Enfield Town Ladies 1-5 Coventry United Ladies

Coventry United Ladies winning the 2015/16 FAWPL Plate

#33 Wednesday 27th - FAWSL 1

Birmingham City Ladies 2-1 Doncaster Rovers Belles

#34 Thursday 28th - Cambridgeshire Women's Invitation (County) Cup Final

Cambridge United WFC 3-0 Great Shelford Ladies

May

#35 Sunday 1st - Norfolk Ladies Plate Final

North Walsham Angels Ladies 4-0 Red Rose Ladies

#36 Sunday 1st - Norfolk Ladies League Plate Final 

Wymondham Town Ladies 1-2 Aylsham FC Ladies

  Two finals in one day was a challenge, an enjoyable one mind a quick turn around North Walsham Angels Ladies winning the Norfolk Ladies Plate Final was followed by Wymondham Town Ladies v Aylsham FC Ladies in the League Cup Final. Wymondham Town the holders leading 1-0 with less than 5 minutes left Aylsham coming back to level and then win the game with a last gasp goal.

#37 Wednesday 4th - Cambridgeshire Women's U18s League Cup Final

Newmarket Town Ladies U18s 3-1 Netherton United Ladies U18s

#38 Sunday 8th - FAWSL Continental Tyres Cup

Oxford United WFC 1-0 Millwall Lionesses

#39 Sunday 8th - Beds & Herts Women's League Cup Final

Garston Ladies 2-2 Sherrardswood Ladies (aet)

Garston won 3-2 on penalties

#40 Monday 9th - Suffolk Women's County Cup Final

Ipswich Town Ladies 0-8 Kirkley & Pakefield FC Ladies

  A fantastic occasion for both Kirkley & Pakefield FC Ladies and Ipswich Town Ladies to play at Ipswich Town FC's Portman Road ground in the Suffolk Women's County Cup Final. Ipswich Town Ladies winning the game 8-0.

#41 Tuesday 10th - Cambridgeshire Women's League Cup Final

Cambridge United WFC Reserves 3-4 Cambridge City Ladies 

#42 Sunday 15th - Essex Women's League Cup Final

Harlow Town Ladies 5-3 Runwell Hospital Ladies

#43 Monday 16th - FAWSL 2

Watford Ladies 0-5 London Bees

#44 Thursday 19th - FAWSL 1

Chelsea Ladies 0-2 Manchester City Women

#45 Saturday 21st - Friendly Match

Peterborough United Ladies 1-5 West Ham United Ladies

#46 Sunday 22nd - ERWFL Division One Cup Final

Colney Heath Ladies 1-2 Writtle Ladies

#47 Sunday 22nd - ERWFL League Cup Final

Colchester Town Ladies 4-0 Silver End United Ladies

#48 Wednesday 25th - FAWSL 1 

Chelsea Ladies 2-1 Sunderland AFC Ladies

#49 Saturday 28th - Northamptonshire Women's League Cup Final

Northampton Town Ladies 0-2 Peterborough United Ladies

#50 Sunday 29th - FAWPL Play-off Final

Brighton & Hove Albion WFC 4-1 Sporting Club Albion Ladies

Brighton & Hove Albion WFC will be playing in the FAWSL next season

  A busy spell to end May took in plenty of Cup Finals across the leagues in 2016 watched 19 in all.

June

#51 Sunday 12th - FAWPL Charity Match

Ex-England All-Stars 1-5 Brighton & Hove Albion WFC

#52 Sunday 26th - FAWSL 2

Watford Ladies 2-1 Everton Ladies

#54 Thursday 30th - FAWSL 2

Oxford United Women 2-2 Yeovil Town Ladies

July

 In July it was announced the FAWSL was switching back to a winter format from next year so that news made me realise if I was to actually do a 100 games in a calendar year it had to be this year as a 10 week gap in the summer will make that harder, albeit give the opportunity to have a rest.

#54 Sunday 3rd - FAWSL Continental Tyres Cup

Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-1 Sunderland AFC Ladies

#55 Sunday 10th - FAWSL 1

Arsenal Ladies 2-0 Notts County Ladies

#56 Saturday 16th - FAWSL 1

Liverpool Ladies 0-0 Notts County Ladies

#57 Sunday 17th - FAWSL 2

Everton Ladies 3-0 Yeovil Town Ladies

#58 Sunday 24th - FAWSL 2

Sheffield FC Ladies 2-2 Millwall Lionesses

#59 Wednesday 27th - Pre-season Friendly

Ipswich Town Ladies 9-1 Ipswich Wanderers Ladies

#60 Saturday 30th - FAWSL 1

Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-1 Birmingham City Ladies

#61 Sunday 31st - Pre-season Friendly

Cambridge United WFC 3-1 Solihull Ladies

August

#62 Wednesday 3rd - FAWSL 1

Reading FC Women 1-2 Manchester City Women

#63 Sunday 7th - Pre-season Friendly

Kings Lynn Town Ladies 2-2 West Ham United Ladies Development

  More and more men's clubs after are embracing their women's side, several sides getting both friendlies and competitive games at the clubs stadiums to showcase women's football attracting good crowds too. Peterborough United Women (#45) at the ABAX Stadium earlier in the year and Kings Lynn Town Ladies (above) at The Walks both testing themselves against West Ham United Ladies who themselves got to play a league game at the Boleyn Ground (#16) before the club moved to the Olympic Stadium.

#64 Wednesday 10th - Pre-season Friendly

Bungay Town Ladies 3-11 Acle United Ladies

#65 Sunday 14th - Pre-season Friendly

Thorpe United Ladies 1-5 Lowestoft Town Ladies

#66 Wednesday 17th - Pre-season Friendly

Brandon Town Ladies 3-1 Newmarket Town Ladies

#67 Sunday 21st - FAWPL Southern Division

Crystal Palace Ladies 2-2 Coventry United Ladies

#68 Thursday 25th - Pre-season Friendly

Kings Lynn Town Ladies 3-3 Wisbech Town Ladies

  Didn't matter whether it was a competitive match or a friendly and I got a few of these in along the way. Don't always do a match report for a friendly, just nice to enjoy a game without the notepad once in a while but then you don't get to hear what goes on sometimes and I do remember kick-off for a match being delayed because the player in charge of bringing the goal nets turned up with a six-man tent instead! (Can't think why I slipped that in here). 

#69 Sunday 28th - ERWFL Premier Division

AFC Sudbury Ladies 2-4 Acle United Ladies

#70 Wednesday 31st - ERWFL Division One

Colney Heath Ladies 1-3 Cambridge City Ladies

September

#71 Thursday 1st - FAWSL 1

Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-4 Sunderland AFC Ladies

#72 Sunday 4th - FAWPL Cup Determining Round

Cambridge United WFC 2-2 Lewes Ladies (aet)
Cambridge United WFC won 4-2 on penalties

#73 Wednesday 7th - Pre-season Friendly

Bungay Town Ladies 6-0 Long Stratton Ladies

#74 Thursday 8th - ERWFL Premier Division

Colchester Town Ladies 1-4 Writtle Ladies

#75 Friday 9th - ERWFL Division One

Hutton Ladies 1-4 Little Thurrock Dynamos Ladies

#76 Sunday 11th - Suffolk Women's Division

Copleston Ladies 0-8 Walsham Le Willows Ladies

#77 Wednesday 14th - FAWPL South East Division One

Cambridge United WFC 3-2 Stevenage Ladies

#78 Friday 16th - ERWFL Division One

Little Thurrock Dynamos Ladies 3-5 Ipswich Wanderers Ladies

#79 Saturday 17th - FA Women's Cup

Bishops Stortford Ladies 1-3 Bungay Town Ladies

  Another game getting to be played at the men's stadium saw Bishop's Stortford Ladies host Bungay Town Ladies at the ProKit UK Stadium in the FA Women's Cup. Gives me a chance to see clubs from different parts of the region face each other and often a tie will jump out at me as the one to watch when to watch when the draw is made this was the game. Played on a Saturday night attracting a good crowd Bungay Town Ladies making history to advance into the next round with a 3-1 win.

#80 Sunday 18th - FA Women's Cup

Newmarket Town Ladies 2-7 Wymondham Town Ladies

#81 Saturday 24th - FAWSL 1

Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-4 Reading FC Women

#82 Sunday 25th - Norfolk Women's Division Two

Briston Wanderers Ladies 3-5 Gorleston FC Ladies

#83 Thursday 29th - Kick Cancer Cup Charity Match

Sam's XI 3-4 League Rep Side

(£5,235 was raised for Addenbrook's Oncology Day Unit)

October

#84 Sunday 2nd - FAWPL South East Division One

Actonians Ladies 5-4 Norwich City Ladies

  As dramatic a match as I've seen all year Actonians Ladies leading 4-1 at half-time only for Norwich City Ladies to come back in the 2nd half to level it at 4-4 only to concede straight away and Actonians winning it 5-4.

#85 Wednesday 5th - FAWPL South East Division One

Ipswich Town Ladies 3-2 Lowestoft Town Ladies

#86 Sunday 9th - FA Women's Cup

Histon Ladies 0-5 Peterborough Northern Star Ladies

#87 Sunday 16th - Cambridgeshire Women's Premiership

Netherton United Ladies 0-3 Cambridge United WFC Reserves

#88 Thursday 20th - East Anglian Counties Championship

Suffolk FA Women 4-3 Essex FA Women

#89 Friday 21st - International Friendly

England Women 0-0 France Women

#90 Sunday 23rd - FAWPL Cup

Gillingham FC Ladies 2-0 Milton Keynes Dons Ladies

#91 Saturday 29th - FAWSL 2

Everton Ladies 2-3 Bristol City Women

#92 Sunday 30th - Norfolk Women's Division Three

Freethorpe Ladies 1-8 Toftwood United Ladies

  Really enjoy getting up and down the leagues give the same coverage to a county division 3 side as I would an FAWSL or FAWPL game.

November

#93 Thursday 3rd - East Anglian Counties Championship

Essex FA Women 1-1 Kent FA Women

#94 Sunday 6th - FAWSL 2

Oxford United Women 0-5 Bristol City Women

#95 Sunday 6th - FAWSL 1

Reading FC Women 0-1 Doncaster Rovers Belles

#96 Sunday 13th - FA Women's Cup

Solihull Ladies 3-0 Burton Albion Ladies

#97 Sunday 20th - FA Women's Cup

Norwich City Ladies 3-3 Lowestoft Town Ladies
Norwich won 4-3 on penalties

#98 Thursday 24th - East Anglian Counties Championship

Hertfordshire FA Women 2-4 Suffolk FA Women

#99 Sunday 27th - Cambridgeshire Women's League Cup

Newmarket Town Ladies 0-3 St Ives Town Ladies

December

#100 Sunday 4th - FA Women's Cup

Cambridge United WFC 3-1 Queens Park Rangers

  Did it! 100 games watched. Can't tell you how happy and relieved I am. Exhausted too but I was determined to get there in the finish. Proud and have loved almost every minute of it, the football is afterall what makes the blog work. You never know how a game is going to pan out, you'll more often than not see goals, the games are all played at a fast tempo and good spirit. I get through a fair number of notepads throughout that time too. The travelling can make me tired and of course I write a match report for 99.9% of competitive games I watch plus the odd friendly one too, and another big milestone in that regards coincides with my 100th game. The car will welcome a rest too, had the brakes replaced all round this year, plus 2 front tyres, and a suspension arm, but it's looked after me well. Got there not the 1st one to watch 100 matches so hats off to those that have and maybe a few of you will in the future.

  I want to thank everyone that has helped me out throughout 2016, everyone is so supportive clubs, players, fans, managers and coaches I'm always after that team sheet got to get those names and numbers right, because if I get it wrong the player involved soon lets me know. Still a couple of Sunday's left it 2016 and I did suggest to my mate at work I might have one off to which he replied, "No you won't!" and of course he's right so I'll see you all at a ground somewhere. The travels will continue.