Chair Nicola Gallagher on the incredible achievement of the borough’s biggest all-women’s football club
AFC Leyton won promotion – and the league title – with one game left to play last month.
The borough’s biggest women’s-only football club finished top of Division 1 North in the Greater London Women’s Football League and will now be promoted to the Premier Division – which gives us the chance to play in the Women’s FA Cup next season.
After starting pre-season with only five of the original team from last season, the squad had to be completely rebuilt over the summer. First-team manager Simon Gallagher and head coach Randeep (‘Randy’) Samra built a squad using both youth and experience from the local area.
Although they lost their second league game of the campaign 7-0, the team rallied and went the rest of the league season undefeated – including an eight-game winning streak – to seal promotion with one game to play.
Randy said: “It was a well-deserved outcome for a newly-assembled team that demonstrated their ability, desire and resilience. It’s not only what the team achieved but the manner in which they have accomplished winning the league that deserves recognition.”
Established in 2015, AFC Leyton was created with the belief that participation in football is transformative for girls and young women. Unlike nearly all other girls and women’s teams, we are not attached to a male football club. This means that every penny the club receives is reinvested into the girls training, matches and other experiences.
Simon added: “What this group of players has achieved, being together for such a short space of time, is nothing short of a miracle. We managed to build around the small base of players we had left and recruited players that have had a lot of experience in the game and wanted to be part of the club’s progression going forward.
“The future of this team and AFC Leyton as a club is looking very bright.”
The club operates for girls aged four to 17, and for women aged 18 and over. We have a committed set of talented coaches, all of whom share the same values; to develop girls and young women as good citizens and team players as well as successful footballers.
We are one of the country’s largest clubs with hundreds of female members – there is no club quite like AFC Leyton. It has been an amazing season for us and the first team have worked very hard to be in the position they are in. Everyone here at the club is very proud of them.
https://walthamforestecho.co.uk/2025/04/18/afc-leytons-league-title-hailed-as-miracle/
