Kalvin Williams looks ahead into the pre-season with Chester FC Women.
Chester FC Women’s Manager Kalvin Williams has been looking ahead to the 2025/26 season as their pre-season schedule gets underway in the next few weeks.
The Blues currently have three pre-season friendlies scheduled and are still looking for a fourth. They travel to Gigg Lane to face Bury FC Women the same weekend that the Men play each other, before then hosting both Preston North End Women and Stockport County Women.
After his appointment last summer, Williams has been excited to have the opportunity to have a full summer with his squad.
He said: “It will be much different from last season.
“The players are currently doing a strength and conditioning programme, which we didn’t get to do this last year.
“This year we have been able to retain and also recruit, and hopefully the team can gel together and the aim is to try and win the league.”
There is a high expectation for the Blues this season due to a positive and progressive campaign last year, and Kalvin is focusing on having a successful pre-season with the team but not based on results.
“A lot of people get too tied up with results and for me its not really about that,” he said:
“It’s going to be more about ensuring the team forms that bond and I think we’ve seen in the last few weeks the players getting together with new players coming in and young players coming up too.”
The Seals will be without last seasons’ Captain, Player of the Season and top scorer, Emma Gray, who announced her retirement last month.
With this big loss for the team, Kalvin’s recruitment for a replacement is underway.
“We are still keen to add another goal scorer to our striking department.
“But equally for the likes of Ellie Bradley and Lola Smith, it is their chance to shine as well, we have some quality already in our group.”
“Recruitment has been making sure we have enough quality and enough depth. If we can make sure we have that same squad depth again this year, we can really get the maximum points we can over the course of the season.”
“Enjoy it,” was Kalvin’s message to his group for pre-season.
“The short-term goals are just making sure we get the right signings, the right recruitment, retain the right players and making sure that we can really enjoy and set ourselves up well for this upcoming season.”
The Blues are going into a third successive season playing their home games at the Deva Stadium, and with Season Tickets set to go on sale soon, Kalvin’s message of the importance of the fans is clear for all to see.
“The support is unbelievable.
“I always mention the Ellesmere Port game at the start of last year because it was a tough game and they helped us get it over the line.
“The crowds get behind you, when it is tough, when I doubted myself last year at times. I think if we didn’t have the fans, we would have struggled to achieve what we did last year.”
And as the days tick on and we get closer to mid-August and the start of the NWWRFL Division One South season, there’s some excitement about what the Blues can achieve as some new clubs and new grounds enter the league.
“There’s some really exciting grounds that I cant wait to go to.”
“Nantwich Town is a ground I’ve previously been to with our Development Squad, they had a good crowd and a nice little setup.
“Manchester Laces us another, I have never been there, we do not know much about them yet but that will be another exciting one to go to and I can’t wait to get going!”
By Megan Weaver.