User:Hamers31/Rochdale AFC Ladies

Rochdale AFC Ladies

The club was founded by schoolteacher (now headteacher) Dave Yates in 1995 and was originally known as Hopwood Ladies.

It has enjoyed success at many age levels and its first team, now known as Rochdale AFC Ladies after an official tie-up with the town's professional club, has been promoted several times and now plays in the FA Women's Premier League Northern Division.

In recent years, the club has stopped operating teams at lower age levels and now concentrates on a first team, reserve side and Under-18s (the latter following a link-up with Manchester United).

Yates and first-team manager Phil Pearson, who had also been with the Ladies since their early years, resigned from the club at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Former professional footballer [|Keith Keith Hicks], who played for Oldham, Rochdale and Hereford and is now the Football in the Community officer at [|Rochdale AFC], has taken over as acting chairman. The new manager is former Preston North End player, Sunderland and Memphis Tigers defender Angela Willoughby.

The players train at Hopwood Hall Sports college in Middleton and play home matches at [|Chadderton FC] in Oldham.