ITCHEN College’s partnership with Southampton Women’s FC was confirmed last week with the unveiling of their new kit for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
The Women’s Football Academy will continue to wear their signature pink, with the adorned nautical pattern that spells out their new nickname – Sirens.
Southampton Chairman and Itchen’s kit sponsor, Russ Kitching, said: “We reached out to Itchen College to start to bring that umbrella together and I’m very proud to be involved in that development.”
This week, Itchen also announced a coaching partnership with Align Performance – a local company run by Britt Jeal that tailors sessions to the individual player’s needs.
She will be working with the team to improve their technical ability by running high-intensity sessions both at the College and at Align’s base in Portsmouth.
Southampton and Itchen player, Phoebe Connor, said: “As a midfielder I found it a very high intensity and it will help me with my technical ability.”
As they enter the Round of 16 in the AOC National Cup tournament, Itchen are taking steps to regain their title and simultaneously promote football and education for girls in the Southampton area.
Head Coach Emma Whitlock said: “A lot [of girls] stop football to work on their studies, and we definitely see a drop off, so in terms of what Britt’s doing with her business [it’s] fantastic.”
