Maidenhead United Women sign off on successful season with awards event

Isacc Gregory won the Amy Saunders Award. Photo credit: Darren Woolley

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Maidenhead United’s Women signed off on their successful double winning season with an awards night this weekend.

It’s been another successful season for the women’s section of the club, with the first team securing the Berks & Bucks Senior Women’s Cup for the first time in the club’s history after a 3-1 win over Newport Pagnell Town.

A week or so later it was the turn of the women’s development team to lift silverware after they thrashed Burghfield 14-0 to win the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy.

Alongside that, Ed Jackson-Norris’s first team comfortably secured their place in the FA Women’s National League Division 1 South West, finishing the season in eighth place, 10 points above the drop zone. It means they’ll play at step four for an 11th consecutive season, though Jackson-Norris will be hoping a successful summer recruitment drive can lift the club closer to the promotion chasers in 2025/26. 

The main team awards winners for 2024/25 were:

First Team

Managers Player: Mia Parker and Natasha Rasmussen

Players Player: Natasha Rasmussen

Golden Boot: Macey Walters

Development Award: Emily Norfolk

FC Video Goal of the Season: Poppy Whitburn vs Actonians

Amy Saunders Award: Isacc Gregory

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Development Team

Coaches Player: Holly Sharp

Players Player: Ava Broke-Smith

Golden Boot: Liberty Dieppe

Development Award: Nikki Moore

Development Team Goal of the Season: Amelie Mayani vs Cheltenham Town

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Natasha Rasmussen - winner of both the Player’ Player and Coaches Player Awards - said it was ‘absolutely incredible’ to be recognised by her peers and mentors.

"This season was an unexpected one for me, but the team has been so supportive, and it feels extra special to get this recognition. I've felt very lucky to be surrounded by all the people at Maidenhead,” she said. 

Midfielder Mia Parker was delighted to jointly win the coaches’ award with Rasmussen. The  teenager reflected: "It’s my first season playing women's football and I think the way I did it, slowly earning my place in the team, getting those starts and making an impact on the pitch was really a big part of why I think I won this award, with the effort I put into proving myself and contributing to the team."

Development team Coaches Player Holly Sharp said: "I was really proud to win my award; I felt that all my hard work throughout the season had been recognised." The Development team have really shown their ability to cope in big matches with some excellent cup runs over the past two seasons, Sharp mentioning "Playing Stoke in the FAWNL Reserve Plate" and her highlight of the season, adding: "I was really proud of the team performance."

Winger Ava Broke-Smith could not hide her delight at being honoured by her fellow players in the Development team: "I was very proud to be a part of such an amazing team this season, and to get this award just topped it off. Thank you to all the players that voted for me." Unsurprisingly Ava - in her first season with the club - named her own highlight of the season as: "Winning in the final of the Berks & Bucks Cup with my teammates and scoring a hat-trick."

A special 'Amy Saunders Award' was also presented for the first time with Maidenhead’s consistent performer Isacc Gregory the recipient.

Isacc said: "I didn’t even know the award existed until that evening so that was a shock.

“Amy is such an amazing leader and influence on the team so to be considered to be anything like her is an honour."

The award named in honour of club captain Saunders who is leaving at the end of the season after 17 seasons with the club will be awarded annually to be the player who hits the highest standards of professionalism and commitment over the course of the season.