by David v Goliath comparisons can be overused but few phrases fit better when Portsmouth-based Moneyfields FC leave the coach on Sunday for an FA Cup meeting with a club that has taken on US businesswoman Michele Kang on hand recently.
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Founded in 2017, Moneyfields climbed through the Hampshire leagues and previously the Southern Region leagues, after losing two seasons to Covid, they were promoted to Division One of the National League South West, the fourth tier of the women’s pyramid.
That success was achieved against all odds. The redevelopment of their home at Portsmouth in the Community (PITC), Portsmouth FC’s independent charitable trust, which will run the site shared by Moneyfields and Portsmouth women, has suffered a number of delays, partly due to the pandemic. This has meant that Moneyfields have been without a home for nearly two years and have since been forced to play their home games at eight different stadiums, including one in Basingstoke.
Their move to a quarter-final meeting with London City Lionesses, most recently via a 1-0 win over Millwall Lionesses at Portsmouth University ground, gave the club a major boost, given their struggles and an FA Cup double. pot, says manager Karl Watson.
“I can’t even explain to you how big it is for a club like us. It’s massive,” says Watson, who managed the side on the condition that they played in the club’s main venue and were not treated as second-class citizens. “Our land development is two years behind. Millions of pounds over budget. We haven’t played a home game there since 4 March 2021. We’ve had two years of changing venues, 60 mile round trips for some. The money earned from going this far means that the club can survive, as the club has had some difficulties with the delay. It’s a really important time.”
Kirsty Pearce, who captained Reading to promotion to the Women’s Super League in 2015 and was general manager there until the end of the 2018-19 season, returned to the pitch to play for Moneyfields in her own right. She has seen the redevelopment issues from both sides of the fence, because she works for PITC.
“I have to deal with the issues of the redevelopment every day,” she says. “So, I understand very well the challenges we face from that point of view. As a result, from a player’s point of view, it’s something I’m prepared for and understand. But a lot of the other girls are trying to take something home and, speaking for them, I know there’s frustration when they might have a training slot and the facility isn’t available, because so they have to move. Obviously you also need home advantage and that’s something we don’t have. I know some of the players who are a bit frustrated.”
The difficulties did not affect unity, says Watson. “The amazing thing about all of this is that even though he’s been bouncing around, not one player has complained. The group of players and teams is growing, improving and strengthening. Through it all we are still attracting new teams and new players, just because of what we have built on the football side.”
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A win on Sunday and the club would walk away with £54,000, instead of £13,000 for the losing team, in addition to the money earned so far. At least £20,000 of the £100,000 available would be guaranteed for each fifth round. These are game-changing sums; The £13,000 would also be significant, but they have to believe they can go further, says Watson.
“Without sounding like Ted Lasso, they have to keep believing,” says Watson. “They are an extremely talented group of girls. We have some girls who were at a higher level, we have some girls who could be at a higher level and we have some girls who should be at a higher level. We know we are up against it, there are five international players in their team, a multi-million pound budget, the money saved by our club probably covers the wages of one or two players at their club. It’s a completely different world but they’re still 11 human beings on the field at the same time as us. We have a very good analytical team and we will go in with a plan and try to create disruption.
“I’ll be in bed this morning and I’ll be watching myself walking up the tunnel at Wembley with a ball in my hand ready for the final. You have to dream – you take the dreams out of football and the magic goes away.”
Dreams don’t matter but for Pearce, who has experience at that level, the players have to take time to enjoy the occasion as well. “We’re there to compete, and I know a lot of girls think we can do that. But I am realistic. You look at it and go: ‘It’s only a two-run difference,’ but that gap is huge,” she says.
“Across the whole club it’s a great opportunity and everyone is excited about it. The whole benefit of going this far in the cup is the financial reward. That’s huge for a club like Moneyfields. Anything can happen, but we also have to be realistic and I will be encouraging the girls to enjoy the occasion. Everyone says: ‘Don’t play the game,’ but you know what? I am telling them to play the event. Because there might be some players who will not get this level of opportunities again.”
