Wolves Women manager Dan McNamara has expressed immense joy after his side secured promotion to the Women's Super League 2, marking a historic milestone for the club.
McNamara recalled the humble beginnings of his tenure more than eight years ago, when the team trained on a small section of astroturf with just seven footballs. Now, the club has achieved professional status after years of near misses and heartbreak.
A Long Journey to Success
"It's incredible, I can't put into words what it means; it has been a long eight years," McNamara said. "When I first came in, we weren't part of the club, we were on a quarter of an astroturf with about seven footballs. We were welcomed into the club, and the things we are getting, the access we are getting, has allowed this to happen. I am delighted for the girls, it is just really special."
The team finished second in the league four times in five seasons, narrowly missing out on promotion on each occasion. However, thanks to the expansion of the Women's Super League, Wolves were given a one-off play-off opportunity, which they seized with a victory over Plymouth Argyle.
Support from the Club
Wolves chairman Nathan Shi was present to witness the triumph and congratulated the players and staff on the pitch. McNamara also praised technical director Matt Jackson for his role in stabilizing the program during a difficult summer when the team had no players.
"Matt Jackson's got a lot to take credit for," McNamara added. "It was a difficult summer - we didn't have any players at one point. He came in and steadied the ship and really gave us some confidence that the club did believe in a women's programme. I am delighted for him to be here and witness it. But it's fantastic to see the chairman here supporting it and the wider club as well."
Impact on Women's Football in Wolverhampton
McNamara emphasized the significance of the promotion for growing the women's game in Wolverhampton. "There's now young girls that will be able to see a pathway, see that you can be a professional footballer in Wolverhampton," he said. "There's some big names now coming to Wolverhampton. You've got Newcastle and Sunderland, and we really look forward to that."
The Wolves boss acknowledged the hard work ahead to prepare for the new challenge but first plans to celebrate with a holiday in Benidorm. "We deserve it," he said. "It's been a long, old season so we'll go out there and enjoy that. The staff have grafted for me, they've been absolutely tremendous. Then I'm sure we'll have some meetings and we'll start putting some plans in place."
