Women’s football in England is at an all time high right now thanks to the heroics of the Lionesses and with the game growing more than ever, Peterborough is one of the places where it is thriving.

With the dust beginning to settle on the history-making feats of Sarina Wiegman’s side, who lifted their second consecutive European Championship last month and in the process became the first England senior side to win a major tournament on foreign soil, the Peterborough Telegraph caught up with the Peterborough United Women’s side.

It is shaping up to be a big season for Posh as they chase title glory, celebrate returning home and continue their grassroots engagement to continue to further the women’s game.

Participation in girls football in Peterborough is on the rise. The club currently has over 120 girls in its academy from the age groups of under 8s right up to under 18s- more teams than ever before and an investment has been made this year to ensure that these teams will now be able to train twice a week instead of once.

Peterborough United Women celebrate a goal against rivals Northampton Town.

placeholder image — Peterborough United Women celebrate a goal against rivals Northampton Town.

Posh Women’s General Manager Sam Winch said: “The women’s game is growing year on year. You look at the attendances at the FA Cup final and the Euros just gone. They are getting bigger as each year passes, that will be no different for us at tier four. We want to see the crowds grow and grow.

"We can feel the buzz, we have had lots of messages. There’s definitely a buzz around the place and we want to keep it going.

“We regularly reach out to schools and run sessions with them in an attempt to inspire the next generation; which was the tagline for the Lionesses and they have absolutely done that.

“Their amazing success just has to have a big impact on attendances in the grounds, TV numbers and how the popularity of the game is increasing. The popularity of individuals is on the rise too, you have the likes of Chloe Kelly and Luck Bronze. These are household names in any girls football team and I’d like to think in boy’s and men’s football clubs as well.

Leah Williamson lifts the Euro 2025 trophy. Photo: Jason Richardson.

"There has definitely been a lot more interest. People have reached out to us to offer help in a variety of ways and support us. We still need to keep working hard to secure commercial businesses who want to support Posh Women. We are a growing and very ambitious club.”

Posh have returned home

Another reason the season is shaping up to be such a big one is that the club has returned to the city. Previously, the club was playing its home games at Abbey Lawn in Bourne. As of this season, the new home ground of Posh Women will be PIMS Park, the home to city-based National League North side Peterborough Sports.

While the club has expressed its sincere gratitude to Bourne and their hospitality, the decision has been made that the time is right to return home to Peterborough and look to begin to build the crowds watching matches which have been around 200-250 for league matches.

Peterborough United Women's General Manager Sam Winch with (middle) with players Neive Corry and Keir Perkins.

Sam added: “We are really excited to be back home. PIMS Park is a fantastic venue for us to be playing at. We can’t wait to get started.

“It is great to be back closer to the stadium, back closer to the centre of Peterborough so we can reach out to our supporters, local schools, local grassroots football clubs, most of which are Peterborough based.

“We also want to be at a stadium that matches our ambition. We get crowds of 250+ but we really want to be progressive and ambitious and be getting bigger crowds and we now have a fantastic facility to support this.

“Our aim is not to just put on 90 minutes of fantastic football but to create an atmosphere before and after the game. The women’s game is different to the men’s in terms of the atmosphere and we want to make sure families and young children feel welcome.

"We are different to the men's game. I love going to watch the men on a Saturday with a beer in hand and the adrenaline pumping but with the women’s game, we are very family-friendly, there is a lot of fun, it’s a safe environment and we pride ourselves on that.”

Posh set sights firmly on the title

The club relies on people through the gates as well as its commercial partners and sponsors to continue their success. The club’s ultimate goal is to be fully self-sustainable and largely operates from money brought in by gate receipts, sponsorships, money from organisations and grants.

On the pitch, it is a big year for the club who have set their expectation firmly on winning the league after a number of near-misses in recent years. Posh play in the Women’s National League Division One Midlands, the fourth tier. Promotion would see Posh likely face off against sides such as Burnley, Derby, Middlesbrough, West Brom and Wolves.

There is an extra incentive to push for the line this season as usually only the league champions are promoted. For this year, the team finishing in second place will earn a shot at promotion too with a play-off match against the runners-up of the Division One North.

Jake Poole’s side will be among the fancies for the title but will face tough competition from teams such as fierce rivals Northampton Town.

Sam added: “It’s another big season. We can’t wait to get started, the girls are raring to go.

"We are very ambitious, I make no secret of the fact that I expect us to win the league this year. We have invested in the first team by bringing in players with a range of experiences.”

Posh kick-off their season away at Notts County on Sunday August 17 before playing in front of their home fans for the first time on Sunday August 24 as host Lincoln United. Kick-off times will be confirmed.

Fans can also see the side play Birmingham U21s on Sunday (August 10) in their final pre-season friendly.