Loughborough Lightning - Feminino
Wikipedia - Loughborough Foxes W.F.C.
Loughborough Foxes Women & Girls Football Club is a football club based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. They are currently members of the FA Women's National League North and play at the Loughborough University Stadium.
History
The club was founded in 1999 as Shepshed Foxes by Gail and Paul Fox, who wanted to give girls in the surrounding area an opportunity to play football, before becoming Loughborough Foxes in 2002.
After playing in local leagues for much of the first 15 years of their history, Loughborough were promoted to the FA Women's Premier League Northern Division (the 3rd tier of women's football) for the first time in 2015 from the Midlands Division One but would suffer relegation back to the 4th tier after just one season. The Foxes returned to the now renamed FA Women's National League in 2018 having secured promotion and the Midlands Division One title with a record of 21 wins and 1 draw from 22 games.
In January 2019, Loughborough Foxes player and junior team coach Molly Webb died aged 25, with Director of Football Steve Wilkinson describing her as "a joy to spend time with; she was vibrant, enthusiastic, a motivator and someone you want in your team whatever the situation.". The Foxes would end their first season back at the third tier of women's football in 7th place in the 2018–19 FA Women's National League Southern Division before being realigned to the Northern Division for the following season.
O Loughborough Lightning é um dos clubes mais bem-sucedidos do futebol feminino inglês, tendo conquistado seis títulos da FA Women's Premier League, a antiga primeira divisão do futebol feminino inglês, e seis títulos da FA Women's Cup, a principal copa do futebol feminino inglês.
O clube também tem representado a Inglaterra em competições europeias, tendo alcançado as quartas de final da Liga dos Campeões Feminina da UEFA em três ocasiões.
O Loughborough Lightning é um clube com muita tradição no futebol feminino inglês e é conhecido por sua forte formação de jogadoras jovens. O clube tem uma academia de futebol feminino de renome mundial e muitas jogadoras que passaram pelo clube seguiram carreira profissional em clubes da Inglaterra e de outros países.
Atualmente, o Loughborough Lightning é liderado pela técnica Simone Brumfield e conta com jogadoras talentosas como a atacante Ebony Salmon, a meia Emily Simpkins e a goleira Sophie Harris. O clube busca retornar à FA Women's Super League, a primeira divisão do futebol feminino inglês, e conquistar mais títulos na próxima temporada.