'Empowered' Newcastle women prepare for St James' Park return

St James' Park is set to welcome more fans than the 22,134 who turned up last May

Newcastle United women's skipper Grace Donnelly was partly responsible for the kick-off being delayed the last time her side played at St James' Park in May.

The huge crowd caught Newcastle slightly by surprise, but the club has learned its lesson by offering tickets in advance for Sunday's FA Cup tie against Barnsley, with more than 25,000 already sold.

Goalkeeper Donnelly says that "support for the team has skyrocketed" since that 4-0 win, and with the city buzzing from the success of the men's team, whose season has been paused for the World Cup, the players cannot wait to hear "the power of the crowd" again.

It is also the first fixture at the stadium since the women's team were brought under the umbrella of the club, rather than its charitable foundation, underlining the ambitions that Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley has for the team.

"The men's team are doing fantastically well at the minute," says Donnelly, who is a Newcastle fan and has been playing football since she was five-years-old.

"They have inspired us to hopefully join them at the top tier of women's football as well."

Grace Donnelly says she became a goalkeeper as a girl because she got to play the full 90 minutes rather than sharing minutes as an outfield player

Support from Shearer to Staveley

Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth has set a target of reaching the Women's Super League by 2025, meaning the team need to achieve three successive promotions.

Currently second in the National League Division One North, it's an ambitious target for a team which is still part-time and made up of university students, teachers and police officers.

However, it is an ambition the players think is achievable, even if it means another evolution into full-time professionals. The players, manager Becky Langley says, are now being paid rather than having to pay for their own kit, train three evenings a week, and also practise on the same grass "carpet pitches" as the men's team.

Langley meets Ashworth once a month to discuss targets and has also spoken to men's boss Eddie Howe about coaching. She is set to join him for a training session in December to see his methods.

Young forward Katie Barker, who wears the number nine shirt, even got a text from former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer before the previous game at St James' Park and replicated his famous celebration after scoring the first goal.

Langley says she and the team could not feel more supported, right the way up to boardroom level.

"It has been fantastic for the women's team," she tells BBC Sport. "Previously we didn't have the infrastructure in place and now Amanda and the team have come on board, they're really driving women's football at the club.

"There's a lot more professionalism and we're all thriving in that environment."

'Amanda has empowered me'

Support for the women's team comes as the club continues to face accusations of 'sportswashing' following the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover last year.

Activists and human rights organisations highlight how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is chair of the Public Investment Fund, which owns 80% of the club. They also claim how the purchase of Newcastle by PIF and support for its women's team is an attempt to cleanse or 'sportswash' the reputation of a country where women's rights are compromised.

Sources close to PIF insist the investment in Newcastle is on a commercial basis, and Staveley's desire to improve opportunities for women is genuine, according to Langley.

Newcastle manager Becky Langley (right) says it is important to have a female leader like Amanda Staveley (left) at the top of the club

Staveley has spoken to the players about how she could not play football when she was growing up in the North East, and wants to provide a platform for local women to become professionals, and establish role models for the next generation.

"Amanda and [her partner] Mehrdad Ghodoussi have always been so positive, approachable and friendly," says Donnelly. "They have given us great opportunities as female athletes, including the chance to play at St James' Park, which is amazing."

Langley adds: "Amanda couldn't have made me feel more empowered. She's really confident and really wants me to do well as a female leader.

"She's very keen to make sure that every girl and every woman in Newcastle who wants to play sport or wants to play football has the opportunity to do so. Having that strong female leader at the top of the club is just so important."

Langley says the players have not brought up the issue of women's rights in Saudi Arabia, but says: "I do feel that our environment is supportive and that they would feel confident to ask the question if they felt necessary.

"We want equality, of course, and I think the club has done everything to promote that. Empowering our women's team is a fantastic first step."

Nowhere will the players feel more empowered than walking out to the famous song 'local hero' before kick-off at St James' Park on Sunday.

Many of them will hope it can be a regular fixture.