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Added 16th August 2010, 15:43 in
Interview: Mark Brooksbank (Head Coach/ Newcastle Utd WFC)
Mark Brooksbank was appointed by Newcastle recently and She Kicks caught up with him, ahead of the new season, which begins on August 22nd.
You've had quite a bit of experience with Centres of Excellence and women's teams?
Yes but it's just nice to be involved with a club in the Premier League and a club with such a good tradition as Newcastle, it's fantastic for me and I'm really looking forward to that.
Has there been many changes to the squad over the summer?
We've lost a couple of youngsters from the Centre of Excellence, who have signed for Sunderland. Rachel Furness, our Northern Ireland international, felt it was time for her to return to Sunderland as well and play a league higher. So, other than losing a couple, we've pretty much kept the squad together. It's a very, very young squad that has been re-inforced with some Centre players and a couple of experienced players.
You could say Newcastle were extremely unpredictable at the end of the season, with some surprise scores.
When you speak to the girls, they feel that they never fully achieved what they were capable of last season. But since I've come in, they've bought into the ethos that I've put across to them and pre-season has been fantastic. We've stabilised the squad and expanded it a little bit. The girls are as fit, or fitter than they've ever been before and we're very much looking forward to the new season. What happened last season has very much been and gone and it's all about looking forward.
What of your chances in the Northern Division this season?
Our Chairman is very much looking at us going up but I'm quite realistic - it's an exceptionally young squad and I think, if they play to their potential with the experienced players around them, we will be there or thereabouts. But as long as we're competing in that league and moving forward, that's my main aim.
What is at like, training and playing at the Coach Lane venue?
Coach Lane has fantastic facilities. Northumbria University, where we train at, has a Centre of Sporting Excellence and we're really fortunate to have that link with them and to get to use those facilities. We've brought in a strength and conditioning coach, who has organised strength programmes and the girls can work in the gym two or three times a week. The pitches themselves are a pleasure to play on, especially the first team pitch, which is shared with the Northumbria University Northern League club.
Your hopes must be increased by last term's top two both departing for the Super League?
Yes, definitely and having two places available this season under the re-structure of the FA Premier League gives us an excellent chance to push on and that's really what we're aiming for. We definitely want to be there or thereabouts and this year I think is our best opportunity for a long time. There's not much between all of the teams, they're all capable of beating each other on their day. If we can just get ourselves believing and having a bit of consistency. I think our away form is going to be key to what we achieve and we'll be working really hard to see we pick up points on the road. It's going to be a very tight league this year.
Clubs are going to come out all guns blazing with that extra promotion place up for grabs.
I think there's teams like Leicester, who have progressively got better as the seasons have gone one, who have really got to fancy their chances but I do believe everyone's much of a muchness and you just need to add a little bit of consistency and get a good run of results, or get a great start and you can put yourself in a great position. So, I'm hoping that we'll be one of those clubs and not the ones who are looking over their shoulders. But I'm pretty certain, with the pre-season we've had and the girls' whole attitude towards their football - which has been fantastic - that we'll be looking at coming out of the blocks very quickly.
The days are counting down fast to the big kick-off.
I can't wait to get started. That first game is going to tell us a lot. We're away to Leeds City Vixens and we played Doncaster Rovers Belles Reserves recently, who I think are much on par with them and we had a great game down there, really fought hard for the 90 minutes and came away with the draw, I'll be extremely pleased if we reproduce that form.
It'll be an interesting start, with Vixens having had a good campaign last season.
All the clubs where there are universities nearby are good because BUCS football has really taken off. The standard is so high that anywhere where you've got a university, they're coming in from all round the country for their degree and you've got an opportunity to bring them in, I think you'll always find teams quite strong from those areas.
And to sum up?
I'm really glad to be at Newcastle and extremely hopeful it'll be a positive season. I just can't wait to get started and hit the ground running. I think the weather plays a big part in this league and if you can get to Christmas and clock up some points before the bad weather sets in, then you're always in a hopeful position, so that's always going to be our aim.
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