Stourbridge FC Women

Three rapid promotions saw the Glassgirls join the West Midlands Regional League in 2016, having finished as runners-up in the County League in 2015/16, as well as winning the League's Open Cup in the same season.

Mid-table finishes in the first three seasons in WMRL Division 1 South were followed by a stunning 2019/20 season in which the team won all 14 League matches played prior to the campaign being curtailed due to the pandemic.

No fewer than 95 goals were scored and just two conceded in that campaign, and the League Cup semi-final was also reached - but never played - whilst the Glassgirls also reached the quarter finals of the Birmingham County Cup where, as a Tier 6 team, they took Tier 4 leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers to penalties before bowing out.

The 2020/21 season saw the Ladies win their opening three League fixtures before lockdown again brought things to an early end, but the autumn was dominated by a thrilling Vitality Women’s FA Cup run taking in six rounds. Port Vale, Wyrley, Knowle, Worcester City and Crusaders were all beaten – the last two from a higher level – before Wolves once again ended Stourbridge’s run.

Despite two abandoned seasons, the summer of 2021 brought good news as the FA announced a system of upward movement to offset the stagnation in the pyramid caused by the pandemic, and Stourbridge were able to apply for and be granted elevation to the WMRL Premier Division at Tier 5.

Their first campaign at that level was a phenomenally successful one, winning the League Title by ten points and suffering just one defeat all season, scoring 123 goals and conceding just eight. The Glassgirls also enjoyed huge Cup success, winning the WMRL Premier Division Cup as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Birmingham County Cup for the first time, and the Third Round of the Vitality Women's FA Cup in a run which saw giantkilling victories away to Derby County of Tier 3 and Cambridge City of Tier 4, before losing 0-3 at home to FA Women's Championship (Tier 2) side Sheffield United in front of a record crowd of over 400 at the War Memorial Ground.

A second consecutive promotion meant that 2022-23 would see FA Women's National League football for the first time in the Club's history, a remarkable achievement in such a short time-span, with the team also rebranded as Stourbridge Women ahead of their fresh challenge.

Whilst ambitions at the start of the campaign were understated, the team once again took almost everyone by surprise, brushing aside an opening day defeat to go on a 19-match winning run which saw the Division 1 Midlands Title secured with two games to spare. 86 goals were scored (the joint highest across the entire national League) and only 16 conceded as Stourbridge ended as Champions by a staggering 12 point margin.

Cup competitions saw more success as the Finals of both the FAWNL Plate and Birmingham FA County Cup were also reached, and despite both ending in defeat to Leeds United and Wolves respectively, they helped to establish Stourbridge as a name to be reckoned with as we prepare for yet another new venture in the FAWNL Northern Premier Division in 2023-24, alongside some illustrious names..

Having begun as a single team, the Women's and Girls section now includes a Reserve Team - also now playing in the FAWNL system - and in 2023-24 a new Development team meaning a third adult team within the club, thereby strengthening the club's pathway from our thriving junior section.

In addition, the Women's Academy programme, established in partnership with Dudley College and mirroring the Club’s Men's Academy, will enter its third year having reached the ECFA National Play-Off Final at only the second attempt, and with a long-term ambition to be at the heart of the growth of Women’s and Girls football within the local area.