The Halfway Line sat down with Durham FC captain Sarah Wilson as she and her fellow Wildcats prepare to take on a new season of the Barclays Women’s Championship this coming weekend.

The experienced defender spoke to us about football in the northeast of England, the unwavering support for Lee Sanders’ side, and a time for change in women’s football.

Born and bred in the northeast

With the 2024/25 season of the Barclays Women’s Championship featuring Durham FC, Newcastle United, and Sunderland, women’s football is booming once again in the northeast of England. The area has already produced many of the nation’s stars, including Jill Scott and Jordan Nobbs, to only name a few.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Wilson, “There’s loads of derbies, and it’s really exciting for the fans.” The long-serving Wildcats player elaborated “For the players coming through now that have three top teams in one of the top leagues, it just shows how much opportunity there is for everyone.”

Having grown up in the area, Wilson spoke passionately about what it means to play where she’s from, explaining “It’s probably a bit cliché, but it’s a bit like a religion isn’t it. It’s like, in your blood.”

“Women’s football in general, you can see where it’s going,” asserted the impassioned 33-year-old.

A new threat on the horizon

Newcastle’s investment in their women’s team is already showing the club’s determination to secure their status as Barclays Women’s Championship competitors. “We’re quite proven in ourselves,” declared Wilson as we discussed the need for Durham to establish a sense of authority. “We’re not really looking to any other team to see what they are doing and how we can compete with them. We’re proven in the league, we’ve been one of the top teams for a long time, and we’ve got a really good core group of players, a really good staff, and the training facilities are outstanding.”

“It doesn’t really affect us that we are not affiliated with one of the bigger men’s teams. It comes with a lot of positives, but I’m sure it comes with also, as with everything, other kinds of issues.

But, that’s something we don’t have to worry about. We’re not really looking at other teams. I think a lot of people probably say that, but we just focus on ourselves. We’ve got no real interest about outside noise or anything. It’s just about us, and how we can progress.

“I think we’re proud of where we are,” declared Wilson, “When I first joined, we had volunteers running the game days and things like that. And now, we’ve got paid members of staff to do that, so that just shows in itself.”

“I think, again, it’s just down to work. I wouldn’t say we’re proud to not have a men’s team, I think we’re just proud of who we are as a club.” 

Supporters Player of the Year

Wilson recently won the Durham Supporters Player of the Year award. The skipper beamed, “It’s brilliant, I didn’t expect anything like it,” and went on to say “I’m really proud to be from the area, and I think that shows in how I present myself, and how I maybe represent the club.”

Full of high praise for the club’s supporters, the fan-favourite expressed her gratitude to the fans. She said “Durham as a club wouldn’t be anything that they are now without them.”

“Last season wasn’t quite where we’ve set out our targets to be in terms of results, performances, but they were there. They were constantly there, and I think in football it can be brutal, can’t it. As soon as you’re not doing so well, sometimes fans drop off. Ours didn’t, ours continued to grow, and again that’s obviously down to them, but so much hard work goes on off the pitch, because we have to generate that.”

The captain also highlighted the important role of the wider leadership team, as they help young new additions to the squad such as Carly Johns settle in.

“There’s me, but there’s also like five or six really experienced players in the team as well, and I rely heavily on them. It’s easy for one person to wear the armband, but you can’t do that on your own. So, I rely heavily on them, making sure everyone’s involved, and making sure that everyone’s okay.”

Keep moving forward

“We know where we should be, we know where we can be, and we know where we’re gonna be, and I think it’s really exciting,” avowed Wilson as she detailed Durham’s goals for the season ahead.

Wilson also spoke with The Halfway Line about the growth of the women’s game, and the improvements which need to be made in order to develop the Barclays Women’s Championship, as well as women and girls’ football more broadly.

Drawing attention to Durham’s extensive role as a trailblazing independent women’s team over the years in relation to the wider progress of the game, Wilson believes “It’s one of them things where it’s happened so quick that sometimes I think it might be moving too quick in some areas, so I guess with Durham it’s just about being sustainable both on and off the pitch, and essentially that’s what the focus is.”

With only 11 teams competing in the Barclays Women’s Championship this year, Wilson issued a reminder of the significance of this, urging “We need more teams in the leagues to grow. I mean, there’s eleven teams in our league. We need more games. Things need to be more consistent and if we do that, there can be more media opportunities, more chance to show off what we can do, and then that will filter down.”

Ending her earnest dialogue on a positive note, Wilson pointed out the extent of the progress that is being made. Despite the fact there is still work to be done, “It’s frightening where it’s going to go, it’s really exciting.”

The Wildcats will host Sheffield United at Maiden Castle for their first fixture of the season, as head coach Lee Sanders hopes to lead Durham to an immediate first win of their campaign.