Rockettes thrilled at progress after fears outfit might have folded

The team go in to the New Year having chalked up a 3-0 Combined Counties Cup victory over Havant & Waterlooville at Nyewood Lane last night (December 19) thanks to a brace from Millie Carter and a third from Rhiannon Hambleton.

And the Rockettes are undefeated in the London & South East Regional Women's League Division 1 South and promotion is looking possible, a huge transformation from only 12 months ago.

Back then Bognor were struggling near the bottom of the league and the players were despondent and frustrated at the disorganisation behind the scenes. Chairwoman Hannah Comins and husband Jon, the club's treasurer, from Rapunzel Me hair salon, decided to step in to take over running the team and made Billy Bromley the new manager.

Hannah said: "If we hadn’t had down this we strongly believe the team wouldn’t have existed this season. Results improved and we survived relegation with a game to spare. The spirit within the team improved and we were pleased to retain most of players for the current season. We were able to bring some new players in who have made a positive impact as well as a new coach and goalkeeping coach.

"I’m so happy to see the team playing well but more importantly for me is to see all the girls enjoying their football, be it at the matches or in training. It’s been a huge turnaround from last year. It’s great to see so many families coming to watch them play, and seeing supporters who have previously only watched the men’s team come and support us.

"It’s also lovely to see so many girls from the youth teams coming along, they are the stars of the future. I would also like to thank the players, coaching team and all our match day volunteers. I’m really excited for the remainder of this season for what the future looks like. As long as the team are enjoy their football then I feel we are doing something right. I would like to wish all our supporters a Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you at Nyewood Lane for the remainder of the season.

Jon says it has been a steep learning curve since taking over. He added: "I would like to say a huge thank you to the main club for all their support and advice behind the scenes. The future is looking very promising and the main objective now is to make the team financially sustainable. I would like to thank our match day sponsors for this season and we have already secured one sponsor for next season.

"For the team to achieve the ambitions we have for them we are looking for more sponsors to join us on this exciting journey. Should this be of interest please email [email protected] for more information on the packages available. We are on a very exciting path and I know we can cement the team’s presence in the local area. I’m excited to see players from the girls' U16 team join us next season, it really shows what a great pathway Bognor Regis Town Football Club is providing in raising the profile of women’s football."

Catch the Rockettes in action at Nyewood Lane on Sunday 5th January against Hastings, kick off 2pm.