Gills Ladies are delighted to announce the appointment of their new fitness coach for the upcoming campaign.

Mark Burgiss will take on the role as the girls return for pre-season training after their break in June.

Mark is a familiar name to the ladies, as he has put on a number of boxercise sessions towards the end of the season, after Natalie Crinean went along and recommended it to the girls.

Speaking about his appointment, Mark said: “I can’t wait to start working with the girls!! They are a great bunch who seem really motivated, with a desire to win!! So I think working with them will great. It will be good to see them develop as the campaign goes on as well. I’m hoping that the fitness levels that we want to get them to will give them the edge, especially in the tougher fixtures throughout the season.

“I have already got an idea of what I want to do Pre season, it will be tough, but I think the girls will love it and rise to the challenge! I will also chat with James about any specific training needs he wants me to address so that we can get the girls in top shape for the start of the new campaign.

“It was a complete shock to be offered this role. But to be honest I was really excited when I got it!! After working with this bunch for the short time that I have, I could see that they have got the winning mentality needed to go far, so for me to actually be part of that journey now is excellent!! Let’s just hope that I can help make a difference.”

It was an easy decision for the club to make to offer Mark a role within the coaching setup.

Vice Chairman, Chris Dicketts added: “Having been along and witness Mark’s sessions first hand when the girls did them at the end of the season, it seemed like an obvious offer to make.

“He gets on well with the girls and they really respond to his sessions, which are always varied and never the same. I look forward to seeing what sessions he puts on for the girls during the upcoming season. I have no doubt that he will be a huge success and work well with our current coaching staff.”

Mark doesn’t just run courses for Gills Ladies, he does them for the public and you can get involved in any of the ways below:

E-mail – markburgiss.boxercise@hotmail.co.uk, call me 07526 729523 or just turn up to my public session at Oaklands Junior School, Weedswood Road, Walderslade. Every Tuesday from 6.30 7.30pm.

I can cater for any team, of any age and ability. Also, I can run sessions one to one or in small groups. Contact me anytime for details.

Gillingham FC today received confirmation from The FA that their Girls Centre of Excellence Licence has been retained for a further two seasons.

Last season saw a country-wide re-structure of Girls Centres of Excellence with only 30 clubs receiving licences for the 2011-12 Season. Gillingham FC were delighted to be one of the 30, and have enjoyed a successful first season under the new programme.

This April all 30 Centres of Excellence plus clubs up and down the country were again asked to apply for a licence for the 2012-13 season. Gillingham FC have again been successful with their bid and have been granted a Licence for 2012 to 2014.

“This is great news and we are elated to have been granted our licence. Everyone involved with the club has worked exceptionally hard and are looking forward to continuing our good work with girls football across the county”
Adam Lawrence, Director of Girls and Womens Football, Gillingham FC

“The Kent FA are delighted that Gillingham FC have retained their Centre of Excellence Licence. The Centre will continue to provide fantastic opportunities for girls to progress up the player pathway and also offer opportunities for coaches and officials to gain valuable experience at Elite Level.”
Liz Symons – Kent FA Football Development Officer Women and Girls

For full information on our Girls Centre of Excellence please click here.

For full information on our upcoming trials please click here.

Earlier this week the Gillingham FC Girls Centre of Excellence held their end of season celebrations and prize giving at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.

The evening gave the girls teams the opportunity to play small sided tournament games on the first team pitch before being presented with their medals and trophies.

As well as the coaches from the centre of excellence, Gillingham Ladies were present in numbers to assist the coaches with the sessions on the pitch, and even join in the matches before handing out medals to the teams.

Presenting the medals alongside the Centres Technical Director Mike Sandmann and the Ladies, was Jack Evans from the Gills first team, who also awarded one girl from each age group the Players’ Player of the year trophy.

The winners of these awards were:

• U17 – Cat Cooper

• U15 – Lauren Davis

• U13 – Lydia Huntley

• U11 – Maddie Brant

• U9 – Sophie Nicholls

The evening proved to be a great success with family members able to watch the girls play on the pitch and celebrate with their medals.

Speaking about being able to join in the sessions and hand out medals, Natalie Crinean said: “Being part of the monday night presentation was key to building our links with the COE.

“It was a great evening for all involved. It was great to see some outstanding players that will hopefully progress to the ladies side in the near future. I feel it was also very important for the youngsters to not only see but meet the ladies. There was a great atmosphere and hopefully the bond between the two will continue to grow.”

Well done to all the players, parents and coaches for all their hard work and commitment throughout the season and to Gillingham Football Club for allowing Gills Ladies to be a part of the evening.

To view all the photos from the night please click here.

For more information on our Girls Centre of Excellence please click here.

To find out details regarding our girls trials coming up in June please click here.

Just over a week ago, Gillingham Girls Centre of Excellence hosted their first Football Festival for the U9’s at Sittingbourne Community College.

It was the U9’s first taste of playing against different teams this season as they are classed as a development squad aimed at giving the players extra training without taking them away from their grassroots teams.

Local teams Swale Ladies and Anchorian Angels joined the Centre of Excellence girls in the 6-a-side non-competitive format. In total over 30 girls participated in the festival where the emphasis was not on results but was purely on the girls playing football and enjoying themselves.

The Festival was organised by U9 Coach Natalie Curtis who commented “It was brilliant to see all the girls having fun and just playing football. I’d like to thank Swale Ladies and Anchorian Angels for supporting the event and it is something that we definitely want to do again in the future.”

Gillingham Girls Centre of Excellence will be holding trials on at UK Sports Paper ground Saturday 9th June 2012 from 10am to 12pm for U9’s, U11’s and U13’s and from 12:30pm to 2:30pm for the u15’s and u18’s.

Gills Ladies will be holding open trials ahead of the 12/13 season for new players.

If you think you have what it takes to play for Kent’s best ladies team then come along and join our open trials.

The Gills already have a talented group of players but we are on the look out for some new special talent to supplement both our first and reserve teams.

There will be a number of elements to the trial, including a technical session, some small sided games and an 11 a side match to finish.

Trials will take play on Sunday 27th May and will start at midday and run until 2pm.

The Venue will be The Village Sports and Social Club, Bells Lane, Hoo, ME3 9JD.

If you require any further information and to register your interest in a trial please email Chairman Martin Andrews on info@gillinghamladies.co.uk

Gills Ladies have been taking part in Boxercise classes over the last month or so and we caught up with Natalie Crinean to talk about the sessions.

It was her idea to bring the ladies together for something different in terms of training and it seems she like the rest of the girls absolutely love it.

Explaining how it all came about, she said: Well Mark and I work together, and he had put on a few basic sessions with the kids I work with, I had stupidly volunteered to join in one session and I do not regret I!

“I enjoyed it and I was convinced that the girls could benefit from the sessions. We were only training once a week initially due to cost of a venue and fitness was becoming an issue if not physically then definitely psychologically. So I put it to Mark about coming down and seeing how the girls found the sessions with the intention of maybe doing one session every few weeks. After the first session there was no turning back. Everyone absolutely loved it! Mark is absolutely great with the girls, and knows how to get the best out of them! He also has top banter!

“I think I’m speaking on behalf of everyone, by saying that the sessions have been amazing! They have been creative, enjoyable, and certainly a fricking graft, it’s only an hour session at a time, so Mark makes sure we work hard for the duration!

“I’ve suffered the worst case of DOMS after the sessions! The girls cannot get enough me included! As much as it is great banter and enjoyable, each and every one of the girls have pushed themselves to the ultimate max!”

Nat was hooked from the off and even attended another session before persuading the girls that they should be attending the sessions as well.

She added: “As I mentioned I had taken part in some of the sessions Mark had put on for the kids I work with, and they were very basic and I felt the strain instantly. I then took it on myself to attend one of the public sessions Mark puts on which is a session for anyone to go to, with participants of all ages size and ability, and is just a sneak peak of how varied the boxercise sessions can be.

“I was then convinced that the girls would love it!… And right I was! The benefits don’t just end at the fact we are training another night a week, but it also has enabled James to work on more football related stuff at training, for the whole session, James is mad on SAQ and all this is incorporated in our Boxercise sessions.”

Nat was not only full of praise for Mark’s sessions but also for his coaching and sessions but as a person as well.

She said: “Mark is a top bloke in and out of the gym; he is a genuinely nice guy and certainly knows his stuff! He’s had us doing exercises that we did not even know existed! I mean can you tell me what “Spider man” is?

“He is also a football coach which is an added bonus for us. He works brilliantly with our staff and management and is committed to getting the best out of us! He is a natural motivator and has great firsthand experience of pure graft!
“All the girls have great things to say about Mark, and after such a short period of time they have a lot of respect for him. We will continue to use Mark I think we have booked him for Pre-season! I highly recommend boxercise as a work out, and boxercise with Mark is the way forward.”

Gillingham Ladies are today looking for applications for their vacant first team manager’s position.

The Club is ambition on and off the pitch and have enjoyed three seasons of success coming from the bottom of the South East Combination league to their current position in the Southern Division.

We are now looking to appoint a new first team manager who matches the clubs ambition of achieving their ultimate goal of a place in the FA Women’s Super League.

You must be enthusiastic, dedicated with a commitment to developing the talent of the young players of the club, as well as coaching established first team squad members.

The new manager will work with the established coaching team and the Reserve team manager as well as having the opportunity to bring in your own team.

It is important to note that all roles at Gillingham Ladies FC are voluntary.

The successful candidate should possess:

• A passion for football and preferably women’s football and the desire to help the club towards its continued progress on and off the pitch.
• FA Level 3 (UEFA ‘B’) Coaching Award (minimum).
• A successful record of coaching and managing experience ideally in women’s football or similar;
• A clear understanding of the Girls’ Centre of Excellence structure, coaching methods and development strategies, as the club is looking to build closer links with Gillingham Football Clubs Centre of Excellence.
• Excellent people management skills;
• Be available to coach the first team twice a week;
• Be available for all matches taking on Sundays and some midweek dates

Applicants are asked to submit a CV and a brief covering letter demonstrating your suitability for the post to Chairman Martin Andrews on info@gillinghamladies.co.uk .

Interviews will take place in the week beginning 21st May 2012 at Gillingham Football Clubs Priestfield Stadium.

Captain Natalie Crinean reflects on the departure of manager Ian Varley and midfielder Laura East.

Ian announced his departure from Gills Ladies after three years following the ladies Kent Cup final victory, the same game in which Laura East scored in her final game before retirement.

Giving her thoughts on the pair, Nat said: “Eastie is a big character on and off the pitch; she is one of the experienced players and truly will be missed. She’s a wise old owl and is at the heart of a lot of banter.

“Eastie’s work rate is second to none, she may be one of the older members of the squad, but she is certainly one of the fittest.

“She has a flare about her that affects our midfield. She is a grafter and never gives anything less than 110%. She never goes in to anything half hearted I guess that explains the amount of bookings she has received over the last few seasons. However she is a professional.

“On the pitch when Eastie got booked in the final, I really was gutted as I’m sure she will admit herself it was unnecessary I mean the challenge was made in Charlton’s defensive half. When the game was won and the goal was scored I considered the fact it would have been a shame had she not been booked. It’s nice to know she’s the same player she has always been even on her last game, I think she just wanted to make a statement.”

Having played for Ian for three years it is fair to say Nat was surprised by Ian’s decision to step down.

She added: “I think everyone was a little shocked at Ian’s decision to leave. However, I think everything he has brought to the club will forever be remembered.

“Ian took a lot on when starting at Gills and achieved the impossible He truly will be missed. He has top banter and dedicated so much time to the ladies, and the club as a whole. I wish him luck in his career whatever he chooses to do.

“Hopefully he will spend a bit more time working on his new pose for ‘Matalan’s summer hat range’ I hope Ian won’t be a stranger as i have a lot of respect for him as a person and a manager.

“I think when the new manager is appointed we really will realise the hard work Ian put in. It will take a lot to match the dedication and commitment from him.

“On a serious note, I am excited to see what next season brings, things needed a shake up and maybe this is the perfect opportunity to make things happen. I’m confident in our current coach James Marrs(Crouch) he will make sure we get the best of the bunch, along with any new manager.”

The Podcast returns today after a break for technical reasons.

We can bring you interviews with the players and management following the Kent Cup final victory last week.Including an interview with Laura East who retired after the game.

Hopefully next season we will be back with more regular podcasts as the campaign progresses.

You can listen to the current podcast below:

Striker Lauren Phillips was proud of her teammates after they beat Charlton in the Kent Cup final on Thursday evening.

Potter as she is affectionately known believes it is the reward that they all deserve for their hard work over the last season.

Giving us her thoughts after the cup final, she said: “We started off the second half a little bit shaky, but in the first half we really took control of the game and passed the ball around well.

“We have finished the season with the best performance of the season, we have been working hard on a few things with Crouchie and I think it shows.

“It has just started to pay dividends in the games and performances towards the end of the season and it shows with the match tonight that it is working.”

It shows that the Gills work hard for each other and are a close knit team when Lauren Williams and Laura East pop up to score the goals, something Lauren agrees with.

She added: “I think Loz got a little bit of a head rush when she crossed the halfway line! To be fair to her she was in the right place at the right time with a cool finish right into the bottom corner. You can’t ask for more than your winger to do than that.

“It was a booking and a goal for Eastie for her last game, and with her retirement she is going to be a big loss to the squad. You can see from her performance today that she is a grafter and works hard for the season and loves a challenge, I will be sad to see her go.”

The season is now at an end and we asked Potter whether she has enjoyed her second full season with Gills Ladies.

She said: “I have loved this season, it has had its ups and downs like every season does, but to finish on a high you can’t ask for any better than that and I am already looking forward to next season.”