Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth’s women’s team finds itself in a promising position in the National League Southern Premier Division, currently sitting third. They trail league leaders Watford by five points and second-placed Plymouth by one. However, the team holds a crucial advantage with three games in hand over both competitors. Despite having played only one league match in 2026, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Hashtag United, the team remains optimistic about their promotion prospects.
Charlotte Harris said: “I think we came into tier three not knowing what to expect. It’s over 1,000 days at least. I don’t even know what it is to be exact at the minute, but we couldn’t imagine that we had done so well. I think at the very start of the season, the word promotion was almost a taboo word. We didn’t want to say it, we didn’t want to jinx anything. We just wanted to see how it goes. Whilst we still have a long way to go, we’re only halfway through the season now, I think the position that we’re in has served us really well to potentially look forward to that and It’s different to last year where promotion was an expectation and there was almost pressure on that. I think this year it’s really exciting to know that if we can strive for that, it’ll be an amazing achievement for the club. I think although it seems as a negative that we’re in third now, because we have games in hand, it’s almost easier to chase someone in front of you. When we were top of the league, although it was a great experience, all we could do is stay first and we watched the other teams get closer, whereas the fact that we’re in third now, we’re able to chase them. I think it’s difficult whether to say we’re aiming for promotion now, but I think that we know that if we continue to keep winning games, that’s going to be a target.”
The team’s current standing provides a unique opportunity to strategize and capitalize on their games in hand. Unlike last season, where promotion was an expectation and came with significant pressure, this season offers a different dynamic. Being in third place allows AFC Bournemouth to focus on chasing the teams ahead, rather than defending their position at the top.
The club’s outlook for the rest of the season is positive, with an understanding that consistent victories could make promotion a realistic goal. This approach of taking each game as it comes could serve them well as they aim to climb the ranks and secure a higher league standing.
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