Photograph: Paul Paxford
David v Goliath comparisons can be overused but few phrases will fit better when the Portsmouth-based Moneyfields FC step off the coach on Sunday for an FA Cup meeting with a club recently taken over by the US businesswoman Michele Kang.
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Founded in 2017, Moneyfields climbed through the Hampshire leagues and the Southern Region leagues before, after two season’s lost to Covid, they secured promotion into National League Division One South West, the fourth tier of the women’s pyramid.
That success has been achieved against the odds. The redevelopment of their home ground by Portsmouth in the Community (PITC), Portsmouth FC’s independent charitable trust, which will run the site that Moneyfields and Portsmouth women will share, has suffered several delays, in part due to the pandemic. That has meant Moneyfields have spent nearly two years without a home and have been forced to play their home games at eight different stadiums since, including one in Basingstoke.
Their passage to a fourth round meeting with London City Lionesses, most recently via a 1-0 win over Millwall Lionesses at a University of Portsmouth ground, has been a huge boost for the club, given their struggles and the doubling of the FA Cup prize 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 took charge of the side on the condition that they played in the club’s main ground and that they weren’t treated as second-class citizens. “Our ground development is two years behind schedule. Millions of pounds over budget. We haven’t played a home game there since 4 March 2021. We’ve had two years of moving venues, 60-mile round trips for some. The money earned from getting this far means that the club can survive, because the club has been in some difficulties with the delays. 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 for her own enjoyment. She has seen the redevelopment issues from both sides of the fence, because she works for PITC.
“I’m having to deal with the issues around the redevelopment day to day,” she says. “So, I’m very aware of the challenges that we have from that side. As a result, from a player’s point of view it’s something that I’m prepared for and understand. But a lot of the other girls want something to call home and, speaking on behalf of them, I know there is frustration when they might have a training slot and then the facility isn’t available, so they have to move. You obviously also want a home advantage and that’s something that we haven’t got. I know for some of the players that is a little bit frustrating.”
The difficulties have not affected unity, says Watson. “The most amazing thing through all of this is that despite bouncing around, not one player has complained. The group of players and staff has grown, improved and got stronger. Through all of this we’re still attracting new staff and new players, just because of what we’ve built on the football side.”
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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 to date. They would be guaranteed at least £20,000 of the £100,000 available for each fifth-round tie. These are gamechanging 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’ve got to continue to believe,” says Watson. “They are an exceptionally talented bunch of girls. We do have some girls that have been at a higher level, we’ve got some girls that could be at a higher level and we’ve got some girls that should be at a higher level. We know we’re up against it, they’ve got five internationals in their team, a multimillion-pound budget, the money that’s just saved our club probably covers one or two players’ wages at their club. It’s a totally different world but they are still 11 human beings on the pitch at the same time as us. We’ve got a really good analysis team and we’re going to go in with a plan and will try to cause an upset.
“I will be in bed in the morning and I’ll be picturing myself walking up the tunnel at Wembley with a ball under my arm ready for the final. You’ve got to keep dreaming – you take the dreams out of football then the magic disappears.”
Dreams matter but for Pearce, who has experienced that level, the players must take time to enjoy the occasion too. “We’re there to compete, and I know a lot of the girls have the belief we can do that. But I’m realistic. You look at it and go: ‘It’s only two tiers difference,’ but that gap is massive,” she says.
“Across the whole club it’s a really exciting opportunity and everyone is buzzing for it. The overall benefit of getting this far in the cup is the financial reward. That’s massive for a club like Moneyfields. Anything can happen, but we have to be realistic as well and I’ll be encouraging the girls to enjoy the occasion. Everyone says: ‘Don’t play the occasion,’ but you know what? I’m telling them to play the occasion. Because there might be some players that never experience this level of opportunity again.”
