Stourbridge Women are on the verge of the third tier for the first time in their history - a story of loyalty, teamwork and dedication, Andy Fisher and co. are knocking on the door of football’s elite.
Since its formation in 2012, describing the Glassgirls’ journey as eventful would be doing it a disservice. Three straight promotions under former boss Keith Merrick saw the club climb up the pyramid into the sixth tier of women’s football, establishing a foothold within the region during his tenure. His departure paved the way for a fresh set of ideas with the club continuing their push up the leagues with the responsibility falling at the feet of new man Andy Fisher.
Joining the club in the summer of 2016, progress was not going to happen overnight but rather setting up for the long-term future of the club was to be the priority. For Fisher, laying down the foundations was pivotal in order to reap the rewards later down the line.
“In those first kind of two or three years, it was very much about how I would stamp myself onto Stourbridge as a club and that was on and off the pitch. It was all about making sure Stourbridge had a women’s team that was high priority within the club and the vice-chairman and the chairman very much backed me with that and were keen on doing that and being part of that growth,” Fisher said.
“It was really key that they saw that I wanted to be here for many years and grow the girls section and grow the women's team and the women's section as much as we possibly can and that would then allow us to then be successful.”
The Glassgirls cemented their spot in the WMRL Division 1 South in Fisher’s first three seasons with consecutive mid-table finishes. A contrast to successive promotion campaigns, consolidation was just as important.
Fisher and his team continued their efforts as the club edged closer to breaking into the fifth tier, a feat which almost became a reality if not for a fatal blow in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A relentless season saw the Glassgirls win all of their 14 league outings before the season was curtailed, scoring 95 and conceding just two as the club also made the League Cup semis and Birmingham FA Women’s County Cup quarter-final - a clear sign of progress for the club; a warning for the rest of the division.
A bitterly frustrating conclusion to the season did little to rock the mentality and momentum with the Stourbridge camp, however. The following season fell to a similar fate, meanwhile Stour went on to win their opening three league fixtures, leading to a mass restructure of the footballing pyramid.
The FA Upward Movement scheme saw the club move up to the WMRL Premier Division for the first time in their history, a fact which the Glassgirls seemed unphased by. A landmark campaign saw Andy Fisher’s side win all but one of their 22 league outings to finish ten points clear at the top of table, leaving a mark on the division with a prolific 123 goals scored.
Yet it was the cup competitions which ultimately caught the eye. The Glassgirls reached the semi-finals of the Birmingham FA Women’s County Cup for the first time while reaching the third round of the Women’s FA Cup, coming out on top in the giant-killings of Cambridge City and Derby County before bowing out to second-tier club Sheffield United. While it wasn’t something to add to the trophy cabinet just yet, it certainly proved to those at the club that they were heading in the right direction.
“I think what it did was kind of cement the reason why the club had put the investment in, why we’d put the groundwork in.
“We built a really core group of players who had come in from higher divisions and be part of the project and that helped along the way and allowed us to be successful in those cups and do some giant killings. It allows the people who’ve been putting the time in and effort and willing to back us and grow the women’s game and grow the team within the women’s section, it allowed them to see that actually, yeah here’s the success.”
The club sit top of the National League North, nine points clear of Doncaster Belles, while they await a second cup final of the season. A narrow defeat to Leeds United in the FA WNL Plate last month, the Glassgirls get a second chance at silverware as they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Women’s County Cup final.
Promotion, however, remains priority number one as the club have their destiny in their own hands as the season enters its final chapter.
“We've already started discussing about what next season will look like, whether we stay in tier four or whether we get promoted. I think for me as a manager and head of the women’s section, I think tier three is something that the club deserves, I think it’s where we should be.”
It’s clear Stourbridge are a side on the up, but what’s the end goal for Andy Fisher and his squad?
“Tier three is the ultimate goal right now, sustaining that because of how tough that division will be if we get there and what other teams we’re going to be playing against - your Albion, your Wolves, your Derby, your Forest etc.
“If we can push on to the Championship which is what we’ve always said we wanted to look up to but I do genuinely believe the women’s game is changing rapidly, I think it will change over the next five years and whether a club of Stourbridge’s stature will be able to match up to that I don’t know.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of work done behind the scenes on investment and sponsorship to try and back that up.”
While we wait to see which division the club will be playing in next season, one thing is for certain. The Glassgirls future's looking bright and is nothing short of what they deserve.
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