Gwalia United open their 2026-27 FA Women’s National League campaign away at Ascot United on Sunday, with kick-off at the Racecourse Ground at 2pm.
Ascot United finished seventh in Division One South West last season, their first campaign in the National League following promotion from the Southern Region Women’s Football League in April 2025. Gwalia’s campaign, by contrast, ended in disappointment, relegated from the Southern Premier League on the final day on goal difference.
Nicknamed “The Yellas”, Ascot will be looking to build on last season’s solid first-tier debut with home advantage on Sunday.
There has been change at Ascot since the end of last season. Ayme Melham has been appointed as the club’s new manager, with Adam Angus and Stephan D’Abreu-Hayling joining her coaching staff. The club has also been busy in the transfer market, with Ellie Rogers, Cherish Bigrave, Emma Goodwin, Mia Reid, Franckie Austin, Monica Ferreira and Inés Cipriano all signing ahead of the new season.
Pre-season has gone well for Gwalia, who won three and drew one of their four warm-up fixtures without defeat. The most recent of those results was a goalless draw at home to Stoke City, who finished in the top four of the FA Northern Premier Division last term.
Manager Cori Williams-Mills will be hoping her young squad, with an average age of just 22, can carry that pre-season form into the league campaign.
Of Gwalia’s new signings, valuable experience will come from Kylie Nolan and Issy Newns, both of whom played for Cardiff City Ladies, the club’s previous incarnation. They are joined by a group of younger players including Megan Bible, Katie Davies, Summer Evans, Anya Grunewald and Elin Thomas, as well as last season’s Genero Adran South Player of the Season, Esme Kilburn-Thompson, who scored 18 goals in all competitions.
This will be the first season Gwalia United have played in Tier 4 under their current name. However, the club has been here before under a different one: Cardiff City Ladies won the Division One South West title in 2022-23, with current manager Williams-Mills among the top scorers that season, netting 27 goals in 29 appearances as a player.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Sunday’s match will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The game will be refereed by Simon Cook of the Berkshire & Buckinghamshire FA, assisted by Neil Jenkins and Vas Constanti.
GETTING THERE
Travelling Gwalia United supporters face a journey of around 130 miles, taking roughly two hours 20 minutes, from the USW Sport Park to the Racecourse Ground.
Ascot United’s Racecourse Ground is located off Winkfield Road (SL5 7LJ) in Ascot, Berkshire. The ground has a clubhouse bar and holds around 1,150 spectators. It operates a card only policy and is non-smoking; dogs are not permitted.
A car park with marked disabled spaces is also available on-site.
Ascot train station is the nearest public transport link, roughly a 20-minute walk from the ground.
Tickets for the game are priced – £5 (adults), £3 (concessions) and £1 (under-18s), and are available in advance via the Ascot United ticketing website.
Feature Image Credit: Ascot United
