Ipswich Town Women See FA Cup As Stepping Stone To Women’s Super League

On Sunday, third-tier Ipswich Town Women will host Women’s Super League side West Ham Women in the quarter-finals of the Women’s FA Cup hoping to create history and reach the last four of the competition for the first time. However, their squad of academy graduates have their sights set on joining their opponents in the top flight of English soccer.

Currently top of the regional FA Women’s National League Southern Division, Ipswich know that should they win their remaining six matches this season, they will secure back-to-back promotions and go into the professional second tier, the FA Women’s Championship. This Sunday, they will receive national attention for their exploits in the Women’s FA Cup where they have come through five rounds to stand within two wins of playing in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Two years ago, Ipswich Town reached the Fifth Round only to drawn away to then Cup holders, Manchester City. The professional side steamrollered the part-timers, winning 10-0. “A real lesson for us” admits head coach Joe Sheehan, “facing world-class players that played in the World Cup ten months previously. We’ve got players that are so determined to get to as high as they can possibly get to. That was a really important game for us. We came away from that and realized what world-class looks like.”

Then aged just 17, defender Paige Peake added, “I think the main thing we all learned from that game is the physicality and pace at that level of the game, which then probably caught us by surprise a bit because obviously it was our first experience of that whereas this time it’s not going to be a shock. We know they’re going to be a tough side. That shouldn’t be a shock so we can better prepare to deal with that.”

Despite that experience, Sheehan is keen to point out that his team remain novices compared to their opponents, sixth in the top flight of English women’s soccer, the Women’s Super League. “Our 17-year-olds two years ago are only 19, we’ve made two years of progress.. A lot of 18 or 19 year-olds won’t really develop to the level that’s required from a physical perspective probably until they are 23, 24, 25, which is why the average age of a Super League player is 25.5, West Ham’s is now 28.5 and has gone up since last year, which probably shows why they are a little bit better than they were last year.”

Last summer, Peake became the second of the squad to sign a professional contract at the club. Two years ago was still studying at college alongside her soccer career. She told me going full-time has made a world of difference to her. “I’ve always been a person who’s very committed to playing and I’ve always, even through school, trained as if I’m full-time but I’ve just now got less things to worry about and less things to get distracted by. Now, I’ve been able to commit whole-hardheartedly to it without having those extra stresses and stuff.”

Peake also believes her team have the tools to hurt their top flight opponents. “We’ve got pace, especially our wing-backs and forwards are quick. Penetration is important, whatever game your’re playing in so hopefully we can get behind their back-line and put them under some pressure and try and nick a goal that way.”

Unlike many women’s teams over the last couple of years, Ipswich Town have so far resisted the opportunity to move their high-profiles games, including Sunday’s, to the main club stadium, the 30,311-capacity Portman Road, sticking to their smaller Goldstar Ground in nearby Felixstowe. Sheenan explained “first and foremost, Felixstowe is our home ground. I speak on behalf of the players, the staff and the supporters by saying that we all enjoy being there. Obviously, the opportunity to play at Portman Road is something I’m sure we’d all relish at some stage. For the moment, we’re definitely keen to play at Felixstowe because we know it.”

“I think that Felixstowe have been great for us, great hosts for us over many years now and they deserve to be part of this tie as well. We’re really keen to play at Felixstowe. It’s somewhere we’re used to and because of the magnitude of the game, I think it’s really important to have familiar surroundings for us to try and have that home advantage.”

Nevertheless, the match has been chosen to by the BBC for live national broadcast, the first time a women’s match involving a third-tier club has been shown on live television. Peake believes this will inspire teams outside the top two professional leagues. “Any exposure can only be good and benefit the whole pyramid, not just those involved with the television deal in the Women’s Super League. It gives the clubs lower down more ambition and something to strive for because they know now the big rewards and what comes from getting promoted into those leagues. If we get promoted into the Championship, it really could change all of our lives at the club.”

Without a top-flight men’s side since 2001, Sheehan hopes his women’s side, many of whom, like Peake, already represent England in junior age-groups, will galvanize the rural county of Suffolk into becoming a melting pot for women’s soccer. “I think it’s huge for more reasons than just experience and opportunity. I’ve said for a long time now, my vision and what I’ve been hoping for, for many years is not to just grow what we’ve got now, it’s to engage and excite a community and a region and give opportunities to more home-grown players that can continue to filter through our pathway because that’s what we were set up to do. That’s what we’ve always done which is why our squad of 20 on Sunday will feature 17 players who have come through our academy system. There’s no numbers like that across this country in women’s football.”