Saddleworth 3Ds women’s team has stormed to five victories in seven matches during their inaugural league campaign, positioning themselves as surprise contenders for the MW Flexi League Division Four title.

The remarkable rise began just 15 months ago when eight mothers, most of whom had never played football before, gathered for their first kickaround while their children trained with the club’s junior teams. Today, that grassroots initiative has blossomed into a 20-player squad spanning Saddleworth, Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, drawing women from diverse backgrounds, faiths and varying levels of football experience.

Team manager Stacey MacNaught witnessed the transformation firsthand. “It started with a casual kickaround on a Tuesday night. But numbers grew quickly in the first few months. We started to play a few casual friendlies, took a few heavy defeats early on and then won a few. We joined the Flexi League with no expectations but growing confidence.”

The league’s flexible scheduling has proven crucial for the squad, whose average age is 40. “For busy parents, this is ideal. It’s been such a good and well organised league. It’s so rewarding watching our team go out and give a real game to much younger teams or more experienced teams in some cases. We’re all just loving playing football,” MacNaught explained.

Men’s team coach Neil Beevor has recently joined the women’s coaching setup as they prepare for the season’s second half. Club chairman John Lees praised the rapid expansion: “It’s exciting to see the growth of the women’s team in such a short space of time and we hope to see more women in Saddleworth and Oldham getting involved.”

The team actively seeks new players aged 25 and over. Interested women can contact [email protected].

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