The former Bristol City Ladies football team has been given a new lease of life at the University of Bath. 

The side faced an uncertain future over the summer after Bristol City announced it would cease funding its women’s team in May.
 
The team has now transferred to the University of Bath, where it will train and play its home games from the beginning of the new season under its new name, AFC TeamBath Ladies.
 
They will kick-off their league campaign by hosting West Ham at the Sports Training Village on Sunday 19th August in a 2pm kick-off.
 
Wayne Roberts, who was head coach of Bristol City Ladies FC and will continue in that role with AFC TeamBath Ladies, said: “The side would be defunct now if everyone at the University hadn’t been so supportive.
 
“We’ll be running AFC TeamBath Ladies as an independent club. We’ll train and play our home games at the University of Bath, but we won’t be funded by the University,” he added.
 
“We wanted to find a way of keeping the team going and we felt linking it in with the TeamBath brand would help us attract the sponsorship we will need in the future, and the opportunity to link in with a centre of sporting excellence such as the University is exciting for the future of the club,” he added.
 
“Despite the uncertainty over the summer, we have retained most of the players from the old Bristol City Ladies squad, and we are looking to add a number of local players and our new name of AFC TeamBath Ladies should help attract quality players.  
 
“A lot of the players are trying to arrange their own individual sponsorships deals at the moment,” added Roberts, who also works as a teaching fellow at the University of Bath’s Department of Sport. “We’ve been given a 12-month reprieve in which we aim to make the club sustainable in the long-term.”
 
The FA and the Somerset FA have confirmed they are happy for AFC TeamBath to continue to play in the Southern Premier League – the second tier of women’s football.
 
The decision is a shot in the arm for women’s football both in the regional and nationally, where a number of sides have faced an uncertain future.
 
Charlton Athletic in June announced that it planned to close its women’s first team following the relegation of the men’s team from the Premiership, and subsequent budget cuts. Talks are being held with a potential sponsor about a last-ditch rescue package for the team, which last season finished third in the Women’s Premiership – the top-flight of women’s football in England. The club is keeping its women’s academy and centre of excellence going.
 
Ironically TeamBath had already informed the FA of its decision to wind-down its women’s club, TeamBath WFC, which played in the South West Premier Division. This would enable the University players to concentrate on playing in the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) competitions.  
 
In their 1st game since the name change from Bristol City Ladies, AFC Team Bath recently took on Plymouth in a pre-season friendly.
 
With an 11-week break since their last game and still the majority of the same squad from last season, AFC Team Bath got off to a sluggish start.
 
Carly Bray scored AFC TeamBath’s first goal with a terrific free-kick from outside the box in the match at the University of Bath. Student and new signing Audrey Moore doubled the lead with a second half strike from 18 yards out, but the lead was short-lived as Plymouth netted to reduce the deficit.
 
But Tina Wakefield, another debutant, scored from an acute angle to give AFC TeamBath Ladies a 3-1 win in their first outing under their new name.

The University of Bath has one of the leading university sports departments in the UK. Under its TeamBath brand, its success is based on the expertise and dedication of staff, and its excellent facilities, used by the community and Olympic medal winners alike.
 
Members of the media who require further information can contact the TeamBath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd on (01225) 383518 or see the TeamBath website at www.teambath.com