Dan McNamara’s team are flying high at the top of National League Division 1 Midlands and are firm favourites to step up to the League’s top flight.
Ahead of contesting their County Cup semi-final against Birmingham & West Midlands on the weekend, they had chalked up 10 league wins on the spin to lift themselves 10 points clear of the chasing pack.
And the huge success of the campaign to date is due in no small part to the significant backing they are receiving this term from their parent club, says long-standing chair of the women’s section Jenny Wilkes.
“The support we’ve had from the club has been up and down over the years, and so in the past it’s been difficult to sustain momentum when we’ve built it,” says BBC Radio WM presenter Wilkes, who has been in her Wolves role since 1999.
“Hopefully it’s onwards and upwards from this point,” she adds, “because what the club has provided us with this season is the best ever support we’ve received.
“For one thing the scrapping of players’ subs has been a big plus for us. Before this year the girls had to pay £300 a season in subs or had to find a sponsor to cover the cost, and that was often difficult for a number of them.
“Being able to share the men’s training ground facilities at Compton has been a huge bonus, and having the club’s media and marketing teams behind us has raised the profile of the team and helped make us a far more professional unit.
“We really feel and appreciate the ‘one club’ ethos at the club now, including the girls being involved along with the men’s first team players in photo-shoots, kit launches, Christmas hospital visits and end-of-season awards evenings.
“The girls always wore the badge but now they truly feel a part of the club, and – very importantly in my view – the greater professionalism we now have has helped us recruit players who have helped take us to another level.
“We’ve now got what I believe is the best squad in the league, and so far the girls have proved it. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, Macca (manager McNamara) and his backroom staff would never allow that to happen.
“But hopefully we’re on our way to promotion, and if we can achieve our biggest aim that would top off a very special season in a very special way."
