Permission granted for Gillingham Women to become Chatham Town Women, playing in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division

Chatham Town Women will compete in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division next season.

The name change from Gillingham Women comes following a takeover of the team by Chatham Town chairman Kevin Hake in October last year.

Gillingham Women were formed after the Gillingham Ladies team was ditched by the men’s set-up at Priestfield. Financial difficulties were cited as the reason during the Covid pandemic.

Their manager Josh Oatham kept the club going, without a proper home ground, before Mr Hake offered to take them over.

The Gillingham Women played home games at Chatham this season and attendances have been improving. The name change was always in the pipeline once Mr Hake took over the team.

With the women’s game rapidly gaining momentum, Chats have a third-tier side under their umbrella.

Gillingham themselves don’t have a ladies team but American owners Brad and Shannon Galinson are keen for that to happen and had been in talks with Mr Hake and others over different options.

FA Women’s Championship side London City Lionesses play their home games in Kent, at Dartford’s Princes Park. They formed as an independent club after breaking away from Millwall Lionesses.

The Gillingham Ladies side ended the 2022/23 season eighth in the 12-team Southern Premier Division. In January they appointed a new manager with Dan Logue taking charge. They retained the Kent Women’s Cup earlier this month with a 6-0 win over Aylesford Ladies.