The rise of Leeds Modernians Women has gathered real momentum this season, with the club celebrating a remarkable double and signalling even bigger ambitions for the future.
In what has been an outstanding campaign, the first team lifted the North East Regional Women’s Football League Cup trophy and took home the £300 prize money, after beating South Shields Women 2-0, with goals from Shameeka Fishley and Crystal Boyce.
The Mods made a lightning start to the final, taking the lead in just the sixth minute when the former Fenerbahçe forward Fishley produced a composed finish from close range, slotting past the goalkeeper after a slide-rule pass from Caitlyn Atkin.
South Shields threatened a response not long after from the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Tara Flaherty produced a superb diving save to her right to preserve the advantage.
Flaherty had already shown similar outstanding form on the road to the final. In the semi-final at LS16, the game finished 1–1 after 90 minutes, before the Mods keeper saved two Bradford City penalties in the shootout, helping her side secure a 4–3 victory and book their place in the final.
The Cookridge Lane-based side showed resilience throughout the second half to keep their opponents at bay, before sealing victory late on. With three minutes remaining, South Shields failed to clear their lines, allowing Boyce to capitalise during a goalmouth scramble and fire home in the 87th minute to secure the trophy.
Further delight followed after Mods’ promotion was also confirmed after they secured promotion to the fifth tier after topping the North East Regional Women’s Football League – Southern Division. The league title was decided on the finest of margins, with Leeds Modernians finishing level on 47 points with Handsworth Ladies, but edging top spot thanks to a superior goal difference of just two.
For captain Beth Barkley, who has been at the heart of the side’s success in central defence, the achievements are a testament to the commitment within the squad.
“It’s incredible,” she said. “To beat a side from a higher division in the final, and win our league, shows what this group is capable of.
“We’ve worked so hard all season to build consistency and belief, everyone has played their part — from training standards to matchdays — and there’s a real togetherness in this squad.
“We’ll celebrate this success of course we want to keep pushing on and see how far we can go.”
First team manager Mark Womersley echoed that pride, praising both the performance and the wider progress of the club.
“I’m incredibly proud of the players — they’ve been outstanding from start to finish,” he said. “Finals are never easy, especially against strong opposition from a higher league, but the group showed composure, resilience and real quality when it mattered.”
He added: “This competition has been a huge part of our journey this season. We’ve had to dig deep, particularly in the semi-final against Bradford, where Tara’s heroics in the shootout were crucial, and that belief has carried us all the way through.
“The squad deserves this moment — but we’re ambitious, and we see this as part of a much bigger journey for the club.”
But the story of success does not end with the first team. The second team, who play in the seventh tier — captained by Ruth Turner — have also enjoyed an outstanding season, securing back-to-back promotions after winning the West Riding County Women’s Third Division. This season’s promotion follows on from the side’s rise from the fifth division in their debut campaign in the West Riding League, underlining their rapid progress.
Since launching at their Cookridge Lane base in 2023 following a rebrand from Yorkshire Amateur AFC, the women’s set-up has gone from strength to strength.
Alongside their league success, they have reached the West Riding County Cup final against Halifax and made a memorable run to the first round of the Women’s FA Cup, notably defeating Leeds United Women along the way.
With both senior sides thriving, Leeds Modernians are firmly focused on building for the future. Plans are already in place to expand the women’s pathway, with new under-16 and under-18 teams set to be introduced to support the continued progression of the club.
Trials for all the clubs’ sides those sides will take place on June 2 and June 4 — the latest step in what is quickly becoming one of the region’s most ambitious and progressive grassroots women’s programmes.
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