BASINGSTOKE Town Ladies have taken a major step towards their hopes of taking their place in the Women’s Premier League Division One South West next season, after they announced an ‘in principle partnership agreement’ to play at the Ark Cancer Charity Stadium.

The Southern Region Premier Division champions would not have been promoted due to their existing facilities, but a move to the home of Basingstoke Town takes away this barrier.

The Ladies team will play their games predominantly on Sundays, while the men’s team will be in action on Saturday afternoons in the Southern League Premier Division.

Town Cchairman Rafi Razzak welcomed the arrangement and said: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement and look forward to working together.”

Basingstoke Town Ladies FC chairman Ian Walkom is really pleased with the link up and said: “We are delighted that we will be able to hire the facilities to play at the stadium. “It will be good to see the ladies play at the stadium again and we are looking forward to both clubs working together for many seasons to come. “We thank all concerned at both clubs for the way that these negotiations have been conducted.”

Town chief executive, David Knight added: “ The professional discussions that have taken place are a credit to both organisations.

“It would have been a travesty if the Ladies had not been able to take the promotion they deserved, although it does highlight the lack of top end sporting facilities in the borough.”

The plight of the Ladies club highlighted by the Gazette a few weeks ago was even heard in Westminster as Basingstoke MP Maria Miller met with club officials to offer here help in making sure the club took their place in what is only three leagues from the top tier of the game in this country.

Mrs Miller was also on hand to pose for pictures with the Southern Region Premier Division champions shield and was impressed by what the club is doing for women’s football in the area, which includes a reserve side as well.

She said: “Basingstoke Town Ladies' promotion is an outstanding achievement.

“We need to see more female role models in sport at a local and national level.

“That is why we need to support the tremendous efforts of this dedicated team and help them achieve their goals.”