About Us

Meet the Team Section

Accrington Stanley Girls & Ladies FC has continued to work within the community to develop girls and ladies’ football, creating and developing opportunities for all to be part of a club from 5 years old to adult. With access to first class facilities and resources at the newly built Stanley Sports Hub, the club has a very exciting future.


Team Image

Sami Smithson

Sami Smithson

Club Chair

Local ‘lass’ Sami, an experienced and successful leader, a former Royal Air Force Officer and GB Judo International who also played football for Accrington Stanley Ladies in the 1990s. Proud of hailing from Accrington Sami is passionate about what sport brings to communities and people. As a club we will give girls and women opportunities to enjoy the sport of football, thrive in a positive, safe and welcoming environment and enable growth, excellence and development both on and off the pitch.

Gareth Cross

Gareth Cross

Club Secretary

With 10 years of experience in grassroots football, from the role of club secretary, welfare officer, league secretary, LFA advisory board member, I bring to the club knowledge and experience. I am still actively involved in several other grassroots organisations, and pride myself on giving back to the local footballing community, it’s great to see how girls football has evolved over the past few years, I’m excited to be a part of Accrington Stanley Women FC and help them offer a great environment for girls and women to come and play the game they love and develop into potential future lionesses. I look forward to working with all involved with the club.

Nicola Bithell

Nikki Bithell

Asst Club Welfare Officer

Football has always been an integral part of my life, I was brought up at the side of a football pitch watching my dad who was a star striker, and eventually played when they began to let girls put their boots on and join in. Having completed 32 years in the police, I retired as a senior officer with responsibilities for Multi- Agency Public Protection in Lancashire. Safeguarding within positions of trust was high on my agenda and I worked alongside Operation Hydrant, Ceop and IICSA. I am now a Safeguarding Consultant and conduct independent reviews of safeguarding policy and protocol within the organisational setting. I am also the safeguarding governor at St Augustine’s RC High School. Safeguarding is my passion, and it is my mission to ensure Accrington Stanley Women’s Football Club is a safe and happy environment for all involved in which our ASWFC family can thrive and prosper.

Shakeela Yaqub

Shakeela Yaqub

Club Treasurer

Football was a huge part of my childhood as I'm from Glasgow where you either support Celtic or Rangers. I am a qualified chartered accountant, I set up my own accountancy practice called Spire Accountants a year ago after having worked over a decade for large companies and one of my first roles was as treasurer for the football club. I make sure the financial records of the football club are kept up to date with detailed reports provided to the committee to allow for both better decisions making as well as an assessment of performance. I monitor the club's cashflow as part of my role as treasurer.

Lucas Neill

Lucas Neill

Performance Director

Ex Professional Player with over 600 Club & International Appearances. I joined Accrington Stanley Women back in 2020. As the newly appointed Performance Director, I am looking forward in assisting with building a pathway for young girls that provides the opportunity to play for the club year on year with the possibility to one day play for the Open Age Women’s first team at the highest level possible. To create an environment of “zero fear” where girls can express themselves and their talents. An environment where they can develop at their own speed to maximise their potential and more importantly their enjoyment. Using football, the training ground and the Matchday experience as a platform to learn and implement life skills and life lessons. Educating them on social awareness and the pressures and problems that can impact real life. Our strive for success has multiple definitions and football is our tool for friendship, health, positivity and happiness.

Wendy Pennigton

Wendy Pennington

Development Officer

I previously played for an Accrington Women’s team way back in my younger days – probably one of the players in what could have been the first ASW’s team!!! Prior to this started in the first ever Blackburn Rovers Women’s team as a teenager. Football has been around me since then, having other family members who have played professionally. I have worked in education and training all my life and supported both young people and adults to grow and develop into stronger, agile, and hopefully more fulfilled individuals in whatever, their goal intentions were. I currently work in Manchester continuing this work and lead and manage a large and diverse team who support higher education students in fulfilling their career ambitions. I Would love to give back to ASWFC and am keen to work with the club for these reasons, but also miss the engagement I had with football and all that it brings. I am always willing to learn, collaborate and be part of team, I’m looking forward to helping the club continue its pathway after what was a great 2022-2023 season for them.

Rebecca Holmes

Rebecca Holmes

Asst Secretary & Player Registrations Secretary

Charlotte Scheffmann

Charlotte Scheffmann

Education Advisor