Joy of the Rovers for leading lady

May 1 2003 Christopher Beesley, Ellesmere Port Pioneer

ELLESMERE Port's Louise Edwards has been reflecting on her impressive debut season as a manager after steering Tranmere Rovers Ladies to a mid-table position in the Nationwide Women's Premier League.

The 29-year-old from Overpool Road took over the Prenton Park hotseat last summer and has since guided her amateur squad to a respectable halfway finish in the top flight of the women's game.

Louise said: 'I was offered the job when our previous boss, Steve Williams, had to step down after 12 years due to family commitments.

'Unlike a lot of the teams at our level, none of our players get paid and I set an initial target of just making sure that we avoided relegation, so we've done really well and we've exceeded all expectations.'

Louise's success is even more impressive when you consider that she has to juggle her managerial role with a whole host of other duties at the club.

As well as being Rovers' girls'/women's football development officer and working within the community for the past decade, she also helps to run the club's female reserve U14s, U12s and U10s teams.

Louise said: 'My day-to-day duties involve going into schools and promoting football as a whole, but with a main emphasis on the girls' game.

'Attitudes have changed a lot from when I first started playing. Back then I wasn't even allowed to play in a primary school team but now many of the juniors have mixed squads.'

Louise's step up into management coincided with the end of her playing career due to injury and she is the second-youngest manager in the league.

She said: 'I picked up a nasty knock in a game against Everton last year and I've got a piece of bone floating around in my leg. I've been for several checkups to try and get it corrected but none of the doctors have been able to locate it.

'I think the players have taken well to my appointment and there hasn't been a problem with the transition from player to manager as we've got a young squad and I've coached many of the players at junior level.'

She added: 'Everyone knows how serious I am about the job and I tell all my players what I expect of them. But I'm not like Alex Ferguson, throwing tea cups around the dressing room. I don't roar that much and if something needs to be said, I often leave it a couple of days and tell the individual in a more civilised manner.'

While many of the clubs at the elite of the women's game now enjoy substantial financial backing, Tranmere Ladies' players still play for the love of the game and have to pay their own hotel bills. Louise said: 'If you look at the budgets some of the other teams have got, we've done really well.

'Fulham have benefited from Al Fayed's cash, Doncaster Belles have got a rich chairman and Leeds United are semi-professional. Arsenal's manager is the men's team's kit man Vic Ackers and all the female players are sponsored by the male counterpart in their position.

'It's been satisfying finishing above our local rivals Everton Ladies as in the past they've often looked down on us. And when they used to be called Leasowe Pacific, they said we'd never even be in the same division as them!'

* Tranmere Rovers Ladies are looking for sponsors for next season. For more details, contact Louise Edwards at the club on 0151 608 4194.