Middlesbrough Women manager Michael Mulhern looking forward to the historic first game for Middlesbrough Women at the Riverside on Sunday (2pm). He will be taking the players along this evening to get all the tourist-ing and some of the nerves and excitement out of the way ahead of the game.
This is a big step for a club still playing at the fourth level of the pyramid but it is one that everyone is excited for...
Q: The first home game at Stockton brought in 700 fans, a new high point, on Sunday we will go well ahead of that. How much does that mean to the club as it is growing?
A: They were good numbers. I was talking about players playing within themselves (because of crowd size) and that was one of those days where a few of the days didn't do themselves justice. That is one of the reasons why tomorrow night (tonight) I am taking them to the Riverside (so they get to experience the ground first before the game).
But yes it is brilliant, the fact we are getting 700 watching and we know it is going to grow, it is going to get bigger. However many come on Sunday we want them to think it is not just the Riverside but we want them to trundle along to Stockton and watch them there as well. We want the supporters every week. We want Teesside to support us. We have seen what that did for Newcastle last year. They had to change grounds. They moved from their ground because they were filling it and getting 3-4000 at Kingston Park and it is growing. So what they are doing is brilliant. We want to follow that and do exactly the same and hopefully the people of Teesside and Middlesbrough Football Club will support us the way they support the men's team and the 23s,whoever. We are Middlesbrough Football Club, come and support us.
This is a big step for a club still playing at the fourth level of the pyramid but it is one that everyone is excited for...
Q: The first home game at Stockton brought in 700 fans, a new high point, on Sunday we will go well ahead of that. How much does that mean to the club as it is growing?
A: They were good numbers. I was talking about players playing within themselves (because of crowd size) and that was one of those days where a few of the days didn't do themselves justice. That is one of the reasons why tomorrow night (tonight) I am taking them to the Riverside (so they get to experience the ground first before the game).
But yes it is brilliant, the fact we are getting 700 watching and we know it is going to grow, it is going to get bigger. However many come on Sunday we want them to think it is not just the Riverside but we want them to trundle along to Stockton and watch them there as well. We want the supporters every week. We want Teesside to support us. We have seen what that did for Newcastle last year. They had to change grounds. They moved from their ground because they were filling it and getting 3-4000 at Kingston Park and it is growing. So what they are doing is brilliant. We want to follow that and do exactly the same and hopefully the people of Teesside and Middlesbrough Football Club will support us the way they support the men's team and the 23s,whoever. We are Middlesbrough Football Club, come and support us.