Corinthian-Casuals FC Women currently sit in 3rd place in the Greater London Women's Football League Division 2 South & Central.
We spoke with team captain Sophia Demetriou, ahead of tonight's Cup game against Guernsey at the stadium.
Words: James Shaw
Photos: Finlay Batey & Stuart Tree
This season Corinthian-Casuals opened the doors for women to play football for the club for the second time in its 141-year history.
From 2002 until 2008 an exciting and successful Casuals women’s team won three promotions and a League Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final. Sadly, recruitment and infrastructure problems proved too much for the team to overcome and the women’s section was forced to withdraw from the league prior to the 2008/2009 season.
On the 3rd of May this year Dean Gaynor was appointed manager of the newly formed Women’s club and on the 6th of June, the first set of players joined the team in the first open trial.
One of the joiners that day is club captain Sophia Demetriou, who will lead Casuals out against Guernsey in the cup this Friday at the King George’s Arena.
“I was with a teammate from a previous club, and we came across Corinthian-Casuals being advertised in Tolworth, and I went along to the very first trial.” Sophie explained.
“I started playing football at Under 8’s for Beecholme Belles, the only all-female football club in the area at the time. I was there for 10 years. After that, I signed for Kingstonian Ladies and played there for 3 years before signing for Sutton United Women where I played and captained the Under 21’s and the Under 23’s. I am now playing for Corinthian-Casuals and have the honour of captaining this team.”
It can be daunting playing for a team that reformed only five months ago - not everything will go according to plan - but Sophia sees many benefits from being a completely new outfit.
“Playing for a brand-new team means that we as players and our management staff can contribute ideas from the beginning to help shape and mould the team into something we know will be successful. I think the main difference with playing for Casuals compared with other clubs is the fact the team is brand new. We started from scratch and have seen the team grow and develop from a few players in the park for the first session to a close to full squad training at good facilities and playing some of our matches in the stadium. Knowing you have been part of this from the start gives you a sense of motivation and drive to keep building because you know how much hard work has gone into making the club what it is today.”
At a time when Women’s football is in the ascendancy, representing a Women’s club at any level is great for the community, Sophia believes this club has additional global and historical significance.
“I think any club that is promoting women’s football and offering opportunities for us as females to get involved in the game at a high level and represent a club of this stature is inspiring. We recently had a video sent to us by the Corinthians Female Team in Brazil wishing us the best for the season. We sent one back to them which was reposted and the following we have now received from our sister club has been immense. I think this is inspiring for us as players to see these connections and for younger female Casuals teams to aspire to progress within the club too.”
This season has started well with three wins out of five games: 6-2 against Tooting Bec in the first game and two 1-0 wins against Hounslow CB and Wandsworth, the first game at the King George’s Arena.
“Considering we started from scratch I think we have done respectively well. We have played five games and won three but I think the more important thing to focus on here is the progress we have made as a team. We have recruited new players we are starting to understand how we best play the game and that is showing in our football. We attracted a great crowd at the home game in the stadium, and we are proud of that.”
We spoke with team captain Sophia Demetriou, ahead of tonight's Cup game against Guernsey at the stadium.
Words: James Shaw
Photos: Finlay Batey & Stuart Tree
This season Corinthian-Casuals opened the doors for women to play football for the club for the second time in its 141-year history.
From 2002 until 2008 an exciting and successful Casuals women’s team won three promotions and a League Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final. Sadly, recruitment and infrastructure problems proved too much for the team to overcome and the women’s section was forced to withdraw from the league prior to the 2008/2009 season.
On the 3rd of May this year Dean Gaynor was appointed manager of the newly formed Women’s club and on the 6th of June, the first set of players joined the team in the first open trial.
One of the joiners that day is club captain Sophia Demetriou, who will lead Casuals out against Guernsey in the cup this Friday at the King George’s Arena.
“I was with a teammate from a previous club, and we came across Corinthian-Casuals being advertised in Tolworth, and I went along to the very first trial.” Sophie explained.
“I started playing football at Under 8’s for Beecholme Belles, the only all-female football club in the area at the time. I was there for 10 years. After that, I signed for Kingstonian Ladies and played there for 3 years before signing for Sutton United Women where I played and captained the Under 21’s and the Under 23’s. I am now playing for Corinthian-Casuals and have the honour of captaining this team.”
It can be daunting playing for a team that reformed only five months ago - not everything will go according to plan - but Sophia sees many benefits from being a completely new outfit.
“Playing for a brand-new team means that we as players and our management staff can contribute ideas from the beginning to help shape and mould the team into something we know will be successful. I think the main difference with playing for Casuals compared with other clubs is the fact the team is brand new. We started from scratch and have seen the team grow and develop from a few players in the park for the first session to a close to full squad training at good facilities and playing some of our matches in the stadium. Knowing you have been part of this from the start gives you a sense of motivation and drive to keep building because you know how much hard work has gone into making the club what it is today.”
At a time when Women’s football is in the ascendancy, representing a Women’s club at any level is great for the community, Sophia believes this club has additional global and historical significance.
“I think any club that is promoting women’s football and offering opportunities for us as females to get involved in the game at a high level and represent a club of this stature is inspiring. We recently had a video sent to us by the Corinthians Female Team in Brazil wishing us the best for the season. We sent one back to them which was reposted and the following we have now received from our sister club has been immense. I think this is inspiring for us as players to see these connections and for younger female Casuals teams to aspire to progress within the club too.”
This season has started well with three wins out of five games: 6-2 against Tooting Bec in the first game and two 1-0 wins against Hounslow CB and Wandsworth, the first game at the King George’s Arena.
“Considering we started from scratch I think we have done respectively well. We have played five games and won three but I think the more important thing to focus on here is the progress we have made as a team. We have recruited new players we are starting to understand how we best play the game and that is showing in our football. We attracted a great crowd at the home game in the stadium, and we are proud of that.”
Sophia is helping the club build on the early season success with a longer-term focus on the construction of an institution for the community.
“My hopes and aspirations are to be a leader within the team, the voice of the players and to be an asset to my teammates on the pitch. I would love to use these platforms available to us to be able to reach out to younger female players to encourage and inspire them to get involved in the game. I think there is still a stigma around women’s football and if we can try and eradicate that one young player at a time then that would be a personal goal of mine.
“Anyone who has been on the rollercoaster of a journey that most of us women footballers have been on will understand the highs and lows. From being banned as a game for women by the FA in 1921 and then being allowed again as recently as 1971 to the most recent Euros win. If we can keep expanding and growing the game at the rate we are going now it will be something to look forward to. More can be done such as visibility, promotion, and opportunities. It needs to be shown as frequently as possible and be as readily available and accessible to gain traction. Using merchandise is a great way to promote the game and, as we have seen recently, we are still struggling with that.
“Opportunities are the biggest one for me, let’s break down the barriers and let young girls and boys understand this is a game for all.”
Sophia’s personal aspirations go together with the club’s - success on and off the field is the aim.
“Our hopes for the team this season are to be as successful as we can be and improve on our performance. We understand we need to work hard and put in effort if we want to see results. It is always a bonus to win silverware for the club and to be successful in the league so I will add that to the list too. We want to attract players to our club to join the team and feel a part of the community we are building.”
Sophia has a wonderful rapport with her manager and cannot speak highly enough of Dean Gaynor.
“Dean is a great character, his personality is very warm, very approachable, very encouraging, very positive, all around he is a very good manager.”
Ahead of the cup tie against Guernsey Sophia wants everyone to know that the Casuals is more than a club, it is a pillar to its community, and everyone is welcome.
“Corinthian-Casuals welcomes players with open arms into an inclusive and community-based club environment. We have a great set of players here at the women’s team and a sense of belonging this early in the season.”
With everything in mind, Sophia is very excited to play her first cup game for the Chocolate and Pinks at the stadium, a great occasion for Corinthian-Casuals Women’s football.
“With the cup games, it brings a little bit more excitement, it’s a knockout so you don’t get another chance. Guernsey at the King George’s Arena, we are looking forward to it, we got a big crowd last time we were there, it was great, and we got a good vibe off that. It gave us a boost, to know that we will get that extra support.”
