Man City 'want to be women's football pioneers'

Manchester City Women are planning new training facilities near their current Joie Stadium home

Manchester City women want to be "pioneers" for the game, according to their new managing director.

The women's team recently announced plans for new training facilities.

"We were pioneers in the provision for female athletes, but as things evolve and the levels increase, we need to respond," O'Neill said.

"We feel we have developed an outstanding facility to allow our female athletes to train and recover in.

"We feel it is the right time. We want to attract and retain the world's best, and for that you need the best facilities."

The new infrastructure, estimated to cost about £10 million to build with a scheduled opening date of 2025, is planned to be next to the club's Joie Stadium home.

Should the application be approved, it will feature a hydrotherapy area, a high-performance gym and an analytics space designed to mirror the environment of the men's first team.

Speaking exclusively to BBC Radio Manchester in her first interview since becoming managing director, O'Neill said: "We are very much forward thinking, we never want to be in a situation where we feel we have outgrown our facility.

"That's why we are acting now, as we feel the demands of the game in the future will require greater recovery.

"We have outstanding facilities, maybe the best. But the women's game is growing and we want to be pioneers."

'The team has unlimited potential'

Gareth Taylor has been Manchester City manager since 2020

O'Neill, a former player in the Netball Super League with Loughborough Lightning, joined City 10 years ago and was previously interim director of the men's academy.

One of her primary aims will be to help deliver a first Women's Super League title in eight years.

While City are in the current WSL title race - just three points behind leaders Chelsea - manager Gareth Taylor has come in for criticism, particularly after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League by finishing fourth last season.

But O'Neill said Taylor - who signed a one-year contract extension last summer - is under no immediate pressure and will be backed to end their WSL drought.

"Winning the WSL is one of our main ambitions," she said. "The team has unlimited potential, they are a really young side with a lot of scope to develop.

"The pressure is only what we place on ourselves, we all have expectations and ambitions. I know Gareth wants to win the WSL, all I can do is give him all the support and tools to get the best out of the team. It's really exciting for us to be in that race.

"There is no forced pressure on Gareth. It's not healthy to change managers every five minutes. I've worked with Gareth for a number of years, he has done great work to build this group. The pressure he is under comes from himself and his desire to win."

City host local rivals Manchester United on Wednesday evening in the Continental Cup, needing a win to guarantee progress to the quarter-finals as group winners.

They are aiming to emulate the result of the clubs' WSL meeting in November, which City won 3-1 in front of 43,615 fans at Old Trafford.

"Any derby is a magnificent occasion, one of my first events in this role was the derby at Old Trafford which was a spectacular success," said O'Neill. "It was a fantastic occasion for women's football, especially in the north-west."

O'Neill also feels the occasion has not been watered down by the number of derbies or this meeting taking place in the Continental Cup: "I think it helps, I don't think a derby is ever a bad thing in football. We will never complain about hosting United."