Polly Bancroft has only been at Manchester United for eight weeks, but work is already well underway as they continue to build the club into a leading force in the women's game.
Bancroft, formerly Brighton Women's general manager, was named United' s first-ever head of women's football back in October, bringing with her 10 years of experience in the game. Having been made aware of the club's interest earlier in the year, United's global brand and the opportunity to harness that in the women and girls programme was a key factor in her decision to return up north.
“I've had a really warm welcome, both in terms of the personal relocation and then integration into the club,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “It's just a huge opportunity to use the brand and the amount of people that it touches on a daily basis.
READ MORE: Manchester United set to smash record attendance vs Aston Villa at Old Trafford
“Obviously, there's a huge amount of work that's been done before I arrived. It's building on that, from the experts that had been at the club previously, but then being able to have my slant on it as well. ”
Bancroft works closely with a number of key figures at United, including manager Marc Skinner and the club's director of football, John Murtough, to map out the long-term strategy. “I've spent a lot of time with Marc, the players and the staff in the women's department, also throughout the pathway as well,” she continued.
“I'm working with the under 21s and the RTC (regional talent clubs), also with the foundation. Then across the club, so working with the senior management and the football leadership team with John Murtough and Andy O'Boyle.
“I'm also engaging a lot with the FA around the future of player pathways and player protection. There have been lots of discussions around the future of the women's game more broadly, as well as the internal developments as well.”
The winter break is a matter of weeks away and the January transfer window is fastly approaching. The Reds had a busy summer window, with Aissatou Tounkara, Adriana Leon, Nikita Parris and Lucia Garcia among those to come through the door.
When asked about the club's plans for January, Bancroft replied: “A lot was done in the summer, but you can never really plan out for every eventuality. We'll have to see what happens.
“We're building a strategy in terms of player recruitment for the long-term. I think the most important thing at the moment is to make sure we're prepared and we're strategic in what we do.”
There's still plenty of football to be played between now and the new year, however, starting with the weekend's meeting with Aston Villa at Old Trafford. United return to the men's ground for the first time since they beat Everton 3-1 in March in front of 20,241 supporters.
The club are preparing for a record crowd on Saturday with more than 30,000 tickets already sold. It is hoped it will be another historic and momentous occasion in the women's game.
“It's a massive opportunity and I think it's one of those moments throughout the season that players, staff and fans are going to remember, so we're really looking forward to it,” the United chief continued.
“Particularly post the Euros as well, just to have women's football back at Old Trafford is a huge opportunity. It's an opportunity to celebrate what was, but also what is going to be the future of the women's game.
“One of the biggest changes we've made is to the strategy in terms of complimentary tickets. We've only given a handful of tickets away to those where the price is a barrier. Whereas previously, I think we've done quite a lot of mass giveaways.
“To have a larger number of tickets sold already, 13,000 more than the previous game, yet moving away from that strategy of complimentary tickets to all-paid, is a huge testament to the continued growth.”
A number of WSL clubs have taken to Premier League pitches this season, Villa Park, Stamford Bridge, Anfield and the Emirates are just a few of the grounds to host women's games in recent months. Following Chelsea's 3-0 win over London rivals Tottenham last month, Emma Hayes claimed the game is outgrowing the smaller stadiums many teams in the division continue to use.
United play the majority of their home fixtures at Leigh Sports Village, which has a capacity of 12,000. The venue, which is roughly 16 miles from Old Trafford, staged a number of the UEFA Women's Euro matches earlier this year. Bancroft believes the club are in a fortunate position to have a larger primary ground already, but some teams may need to reconsider their venues as the game goes from strength to strength.
“We're really fortunate with Leigh Sports Village that it's a 12,000 seater stadium, we've come close to selling that out once this season. Having that size ground as our primary ground and then Old Trafford as the secondary, we’re very fortunate.
“I think for some clubs where their primary grounds are smaller, like Chelsea, for example, probably shows the need for larger primary grounds within the women's game. It's a nice problem to have, but I think we're fortunate that Leigh is just that bit bigger than most of the primary grounds.”
With more than 30,000 tickets sold, Saturday’s game against Aston Villa (12.30pm kick-off) has already surpassed the previous Old Trafford WSL attendance record. Don't miss the chance to be there, get your tickets now. Visit here.
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