Hull City Ladies and Middlesbrough Women - two teams rebuilt in very different ways

In 2022-23, Boro escaped another relegation by a point, whilst Hull were mid-table, 21 points behind a Newcastle United team lifted by the Saudi money trickling down.

By then, Hull's reset was in its first months, whilst Boro's began last summer. In the season just gone they fought for the title, the East Riding team promoted back to the National League Premier Division.

Hull City Ladies are fiercely independent, nothing to do with their male namesakes, whereas Middlesbrough Women joined Middlesbrough FC 12 months ago.

"We've got really supportive owners and it's really nice to know they are women's football-focused," says Chris Hames, who in February 2023 went from Hull coach to full-time director of women and girls’ football.

"Large parts of the game are trying to mimic the men's game and piggyback it and it's working brilliantly for Newcastle, Chelsea and Arsenal, for example, but there's an amazing opportunity for clubs like ourselves to do it our own way.

"We believe we can continue to progress in a slightly quirky and unique way that engages the community a bit more. We don't want to just be one of the herd."

In 2023 Boro joined the herd, and are far stronger for it. They came under the men's umbrella and recruited manager Michael Mulhern, well known in women's football for developing Jill Scott, Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze at Sunderland. Boro academy products Beth Mead and Jordan Nobbs joined too.

The merger opened up a new world to the 48-year-old club.

"The facilities and everything that goes with it are brilliant, the fact you can give players a small wage to play football is great," says Mulhern.

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"I only took the job because I knew how exciting it was, and how real and honest the people of Middlesbrough Football Club are.

"It's a really exciting project with no end date to build the club, build the profile and get through the leagues. It would take three promotions to get to the Women's Super League – with only one up it's too difficult and slow – or a bidding process when the league extends, which it ultimately will to two or three divisions of professional clubs."

For Hames and Mulhern, it is about giving players the opportunity to progress without leaving areas that can feel like outposts. Striker Hope Knight did that after Hull’s centre of excellence closed in 2011 but rejoined from Blackburn Rovers two years ago.

"It feels completely different this time because of how the game's growing – everything is just so much more professional," she says. "We've got staff members working full-time and we're training three nights a week. Six years ago we were celebrating as (WPL Division One North) champions to a man and a dog, this year 400 fans came to Manchester.

"One of our main driving forces is young girls in the city. Hopefully we're inspiring them to be professional footballers."

Hames says: "That pathway is hugely important, not just because it's what clubs do but because I really believe it's our duty. I want a little girl at nine to know it can be done here. There has to be something here. It's us or it's the North Sea.

"We're not trying to just harness the best in the region and keep them to ourselves, we want to develop the whole grassroots scene. I could make my life a lot easier and just work with smaller groups."

Developing players is Mulhern’s focus on Teesside too.

"Hopefully when we get to WSL our players are good enough and we're just supplementing them with established players but that's years away," he says. "The fun is the year we've had and the future."

The benefits of joining the men are obvious to Boro, who use Rockliffe facilities so good, England's men will do some of their Euro 2024 preparation there. There are others.

"If the men's team is successful there's a positive fallout," argues Mulhern. "At Newcastle, for example, a lot of people can't get in to watch the men and they see the next best thing as watching the women.

"We have our own S&C (strength and conditioning) coaches with the university and I do a lot of the analysis but when we go professional we'll be linked up with the club. It's been a big help getting access to things like (GPS tracking tool) Catapult."

Boro would have turned professional had Hull not pipped them to the Division One North title but the challenge for both is not losing what is special about women's football.

"I don't see why we can't compete,” says Hames. “The money might not come from a nation state or a historic, wealthy club but it can come from a whole community. And it is going to take money.

"It's trying to make sure we add more but retain the core values and make sure that as numbers grow, the two or three fans who turned up every week are getting the same back on the pitch as they give off it."