Anthony's new role will encompass the whole of the club's female pathway & Velocity College programme, after the club announced a major upgrade to its female programme on International Women's Day.

Anthony, who has herself progressed through Oxford City's female pathway, will help to broaden the club’s female football provisions forms part of ambitions to grow the women’s game locally and create a clear pathway to the Women's First Team.

Alongside other roles at the club, she had spent the season Managing the City Women's First Team and oversaw a significant improvement in theHoops' standings in the Southern Regional Women's Division.

Anthony said: "I'm really excited going into this new role, but the most exciting part for me is helping new girls get into football and developing our players.

"I'll still be working closely with the Women's First Team and I'm looking forward to helping with their recruitment as I really think we have a great chance to do well next season.

"I care deeply about the game. I care about developing girls, making them confident and giving them belief in themselves. That stems from our U12's all the way through to the first-team, so for me it's really important they can go to someone if they need advice.

"I want people to see that here at Oxford City, we've got a real focus on women's football all the way through the age groups. There is a pathway here and we're serious about developing."

The Hoops previously announced that they will add seven new female exclusive teams during the 2023-24 season from U8s upwards and continue to engage young football enthusiasts aged 5-11 via its Wildcats Girls’ Football sessions.

Over 777,000 girls play football in a formal setting each week with an additional 200,000 girls playing in an informal setting such as their local park.

Despite this, over half (52.8%) of children aged 5-16 still fail to meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommend level of at least one hour of sport or physical activity each day.

Justin Merritt, Director of Football at Oxford City FC, believes the club’s move to increase the volume of playing opportunities can help to reverse that trend locally.

He said: “What’s striking from Sport England’s survey is almost a quarter of girls who play football do so with friends or individually without being part of a team.

“We want to encourage more female players to take the next step and establish a routine where they can train, play, succeed and make new friends by joining a club.

“Preparations to make next season our biggest, best and most exciting yet are well underway and we hope to see plenty of new faces through the summer months.”

We are now looking for a new Women's First Team Manager, if you are interested in this role, please email your coaching CV to club@oxcityfc.co.uk by the end of May 2023.

Salary dependant on experience.