SEDGLEY & Gornal United FC Women are set to become one of the first teams in the country to be paid more than their male counterparts.

The team will turn semi-professional from the 2020-2021 season, meaning the players will be paid for the first time since the club formed in 2015.

It will become one of the first female squads in the UK to be paid while the men’s team remains amateur.

It is hoped the move will encourage more women and girls to take up the sport.

The team currently plays in West Midlands Regional Women’s League Division 1 South, with eyes firmly set on promotion in the next couple of years, and the ultimate goal of playing in the National Leagues.

Manager Vince Gordon is spearheading the rebuild of the team to achieve National League status, drawing on 20 years of experience in the women's game where he has led the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham West Midlands and Leafield.

Club CEO Alan Moore, said: “The board have been keen to support the manager in his proposals to move the lady’s team forward and we believe that this will help to assist the achievement of National League status as well as provide a pathway for younger girls teams to aspire to in the future.”

The team was formed in 2015 as Gornal Ladies who gained two successive promotions after playing their first match in Birmingham County Women’s League.

In 2018, Gornal Colts/Ladies merged with Sedgley Scorpion to create Sedgley and Gornal United FC Women.