Dundee want to ‘kick on’ with plans for women’s team as key factors revealed

Dundee aim to kick off their women’s team later this year.

Initial plans were to set up the team “no later than 2025”. However, Dark Blues general manager and community trust CEO Greg Fenton hopes to get things under way before the end of 2024.

The Dark Blues have already started girls teams at U/8 and U/10 level and a recreational football session of adults.

Just last month they appointed Micheil Russell Smith as Head of Girls Pathway and are aiming to get other key pieces in place as this year goes on.

However, Fenton is keen to focus on doing things right, not just doing them fast.

“The women’s side of things was always something we were going to take slowly,” he told Courier Sport.

“For a number of factors – you need businesses to engage, you need facilities and you need the right personnel.

“We believe we have that last factor with Micheil.

“The grassroots element of the girls game is growing. We train at the Regional Performance Centre, which is the best facility out there.

“We have the women’s recreational football as well.

“So we are moving in the right direction.

“I always get asked the question about when the women’s first team for Dundee Football Club will get started.

“We do have a plan for that.”

‘Make sure we get it right’

The one major factor in delivering that plan is having the right facilities.

A key reason for Dundee not having a women’s team previously, while others like city rivals Dundee United started back in 2015, has been a lack of facilities.

Up until 2022 the club were based at Dens Park before moving to the Gardyne Campus at Dundee and Angus College.

And ensuring there is a home for the women’s team before starting is key for the Dark Blues.

Fenton added: “We need to make sure we have the facilities for the team.

“We can’t have the players and staff going from council pitch to council pitch – they have to have a proper facility.

“We have a good idea what our facilities will look like in the next two years so it’s a case of building that up so the women’s and girl’s teams can move in there.

“If we can get that up and going then there’s no reason why we can’t get them going later this year.

“We want to do things right so it’s better to take our time to make sure we get it right.”

‘Kick on’

A new sponsor has been agreed to help with the current girls teams.

In announcing that, the players were due to be paraded in full Dundee kit at half-time during the St Johnstone game on January 2, only for that clash to be postponed.

Building more girls’ age group teams is also on the agenda. But, again, with a patient approach.

“We’d like more teams but there are a lot of girls teams already across the city,” Fenton said.

“And the last thing we want to be doing is to start pinching players.

“We’re here to work together.

“But there will be a time when we need to create more teams to work up to the actual senior ladies team.

“Now, though, we’re working with the SFA and Sam Milne has been great with us as have all the SFA staff.

“Now we want to kick on.”