Hartlepool United Women kick off their 2024/25 season on Sunday with a trip to Gateshead Leam Rangers in the Women’s FA Cup. Kick-off is at 2pm with free entry.
It will be Alex Curl’s first competitive game in charge of the Women’s side, having assisted towards the back end of last season.
“I’ve loved it so far,” stated the Pools Women boss.
“I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity at Hartlepool, a Club which holds a huge name in the North East and comes with a lot of history.
“The squad is superb and a joy to work with, it’s clear they want to progress and push to be the best they can.
“Being the manager of this team is a great start but it is not enough to simply be here; I want to get this Club up the divisions and that can only be done through hard work on and off the pitch by everyone involved.“
Pools Women ended their pre-season preparations last week, which saw Curl’s side play four fixtures. Now, the Women’s manager feels his side are in good stead for the season opener.
“The focus is always on fitness as our style of play is based around intensity. The squad have also had to learn to adapt to my footballing philosophy which takes time.
“Pre-season has shown many promising signs and the team have grown stronger with each performance together.
“Again, I have to give credit to the squad for how much effort they’ve put into pre-season to ensure they enter the season in the best way possible.
“Unfortunately, we have lost a couple players to injury during pre-season, most notably Maddy Hillyer who suffered a nasty injury in our first game seeing her miss the rest of pre-season.
“We’re in a great position to start the season. The ladies are enjoying their football and there’s a real buzz around the start of the season. Many players got key minutes under their belt in pre-season. On top of this, our recruitment over the summer has been exceptional, bringing in a lot of talented young players from around the North East to bolster an already exciting group of women. The understanding of how we play will continue to develop throughout the season but we’re in a great place to start.
“I’m really excited to get going in my first season with Hartlepool. It’s a huge achievement for myself to be at this stage in my career at a young age. The support I’ve received from the Club, friends and family has been immense from the very start and I will repay that during my time here. It’s very important for me to say that this is only the beginning. Everything I do in life I do to succeed, with Hartlepool, I have never wanted to succeed more.”
And with the season kicking off on Sunday afternoon, Curl is expecting a tough test for his side but one he is relishing.
“Leam are an experienced team with players who have been in the game for many years and will look to use that experience to stop us playing our football. It’s the FA cup, first game of the season; I’m expecting Leam to come out fighting. It’s important we stick to our principles and play our style as we have done during pre-season. It’s a test I’m looking forward to and I know the squad are too.
“We have many targets here at the Club, some we have already achieved in pre-season. My first goal was to get the ladies to start enjoying football again, they now play and train with a smile on their face. Our next goal was to ensure the squad go into the first game of the season in the best physical and mental state possible, they are raring to go.
“We have many goals throughout the season as a collective, the girls have goals individually and I have personal goals. I will not delve into these too much at the moment, hopefully our results and performances on the pitch make our goals clear to everyone.
“Thanks to everyone for your support and we can’t wait to get out there.”
Pools’ Women’s league season will get underway on Sunday 8th September at home to Bishop Auckland. That will be a 2pm kick-off at Metcalfe Park.
