Thornaby FC Women

Thornaby FC Women, based at Teesdale Park on Teesside, were established in the summer of 2021 as the female arm of Thornaby FC — but it was events off the pitch that thrust them into the national spotlight. In June 2024 the club's committee controversially voted to drop all its female teams, prompting a nationwide backlash: several board members resigned, and figures including England international Beth Mead publicly condemned the decision, which was swiftly reversed and all the female teams reinstated. What followed was a remarkable turnaround — the women's side won back-to-back promotions, sealing a historic rise to the National League North with a 4-0 final-day win over Ponteland United. Nicknamed the Blues, Thornaby proudly describe themselves as the only club in the UK to give their men's and women's sides equal billing, both at the ground and across social media.