Bristol Rovers have announced that the management of Bristol Rovers Women, also known as the Gas Girls, will return to the Club for the first time in 18 years ahead of their National League campaign next season.
The Gas Girls secured the South West Regional Women's Football League title last month and were able to lift the trophy in front of over 1,000 supporters at the Mem following their final home league game of the season. That has seen them promoted to the National League which represents Step Four of women's football.
Since the team's reintroduction in 2019, they have sat within Rovers' Community Trust and have achieved three promotions within those five years and will now fall under the Gas' senior management team, led by chairman Hussain AlSaeed. This agreement will also see the Gas Girls play their home games at the Memorial Stadium.
In a club statement, Mr. AlSaeed said: “Welcoming Bristol Rovers Women back into the Club fold is a proud day for all of us,” Mr. AlSaeed said. “Ensuring a ‘one-club’ policy across all of our squads at Rovers has been a priority of mine since joining, and it is a pleasure to finally be able to say ‘welcome home’ to the Gas Girls.
“Under the management of the Community Trust, the team have done exceptionally well over the last five years and my sincere thanks goes to Chairman Rod Wesson, the trustees, CEO Adam Tutton, women’s team manager Nathan Hallett-Young and the team for their hard work and effort in growing, promoting and developing the side.
“We now look forward to an exciting and ambitious future for the Gas Girls. I am excited to work closely with the squad, the coaching team, and our staff at Bristol Rovers to instil an infrastructure that allows the side to progress even further through the divisions and compete at the top end of women’s football.”
Community Trust CEO Adam Tutton added: "I am incredibly proud that Bristol Rovers FC have kindly agreed to take over the management and financing of our women's team.
"The Gas Girls was formed in the spring of 2019 by Bristol Rovers Community Trust, the Club’s official charity, with a focus on community, education, participation and performance. Our ambition was to bridge the gap between amateur and professional football, offer educational opportunities for girls in sport through our education programme, build an inclusive community within the club and work alongside other organisations and charities who represented our values.
"It is a privilege to say that we have exceeded our ambitions both on and off the pitch, none of which would have been possible without the efforts of our incredible team of volunteers and our supportive sponsors, all of whom I thank greatly.
"As the Club now moves forward, I would like to personally thank Hussain Al-Saeed, Abdullatif Al-Saeed and Wael Al-Qadi for their commitment to further support its growth, development and success."
