Derby County Football Club are to increase their support of Derby County Ladies as they seek to secure promotion to Women’s Super League 2, the second tier of the national pyramid.


The enhanced support will see the Ladies’ first team train at the Derby County Training Centre in partnership with the University of Derby from the start of the 2018/19 campaign.

In addition, the Ewe Rams will also align themselves more closely to the main club in terms of its governance structure and the increased backing further demonstrates the continued growing relationship between the two clubs.

RamsTV has streamed a number of the Ladies’ senior fixtures over the course of this season and, moving forward, Derby will support them in their ambitions from an operational and financial perspective.

dcfc.co.uk. Each time a purchase is made, fans will be given the option to round their basket up to the nearest £5 - or they can donate any value of their choice by visiting: dcfc.co.uk/toptix/en-GB/donations/derby%20county%20ladies.

Derby County Ladies were formed in 1990 and in the 28 years since they have risen from playing local parks football to establishing themselves on the national stage at Premier League level, one tier beneath the Women’s Super League.

In recent years they have been recognised nationally for their achievements, winning both club and individual awards at the annual Women's FA Awards held at Wembley Stadium – as well as the Derby Telegraph and Derby City ‘Club of the Year’ awards on a local basis.

Derby County’s Executive Chairman, Mel Morris CBE, has spoken of his admiration for the development of the Ladies and he is keen for them to become an intrinsic part of the overall club, whilst maintaining their independence at the same time.

He said: “The last four or five years have been hugely productive ones for Derby County Ladies.

“In that time, they have basically gone from a committee-lead club playing in front of a handful of supporters to an ambitious, commercially astute club with clear vision. It is seen as a model of best practice at the level at which they currently operate.

"In the past three years Derby County Ladies have relocated and drawn five crowds of over 500 spectators, while over 800 attended their FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest last season. These gates are almost unheard of at Women's Premier League level and, impressively, they are on par with the Women's Super League.”

He added: “We are hopeful that through this improved 'one club' synergy, that our supporters will take a keener interest in the Ladies team through both attendance at games and initiatives aimed at improving their finances and helping them to realise their ambitions."

Derby County Ladies’ Chief Executive Officer, Duncan Gibb, believes the growing relationship between the two clubs represents an exciting time.

He said: “Just under five years ago, we set out a plan to achieve Women’s Super League status and in doing so migrate from a grass roots club to a semi-professional one.

“Two weeks into that journey we played Nottingham Forest at Borrowash Victoria in front of 30 fans. We didn't have any sponsors, trained on half of an old sand-based pitch up at Mackworth College and our website used to get around 80 hits per week. At that point in time these lofty ambitions seemed a world away from realisation and to all intents and purposes they were.

“Fast forward to the present day and the 30 became 800 last year, we have just under 40 commercial partners, our new website is on course to realise 250,000 hits a year by the end of 2018 and our senior sides will be training at the Derby County Training Centre.”

He added: “These are hugely exciting times and the aim now is to kick on, hopefully bring Women’s Super League football to the city and inspire the current and next generation of girls residing within it.”