Norwich City's head of women's football Flo Allen provided updates on changes to next season and reviewed the 2024/25 campaign for the women's team in a recent interview with the club.
Allen covered a wide range of topics such as the league position, player contracts and plans for progression.
"It was a great end to the season, finishing with some silverware at Carrow Road. We finished the 2025 campaign of this season on a real high with loads of momentum and confidence and we managed to retain the Harrod Sport Women's County Cup for the third year running," Allen said.
"It's super frustrating that we've finished second two seasons in a row, only missing out by a handful of points, just two points on this occasion behind eventual winners Real Bedford.
"We know that the margins for error are so small in this league and we know that we can't afford to take our eye off the ball for one second and for one game, so next year that is going to be the focus.
"It's going to be all focus towards becoming champions and trying to achieve promotion to Tier 3."
That step up has long been the ambition for the club, and back-to-back runners-up finishes shows just how close it is.
Part of next season's efforts will involve contracted players for the first time.
"That is the next step for us; we're not going to shy away from that, that is what we are going to go after next season and do absolutely everything we can to achieve that. We know it's a difficult league and we know that we need to be on the money every single week.
"We're now at a place where the club can be compensating players next season and offering contracted terms to selected current members of the squad and also some external recruits that we hope to bring in to strengthen and push towards not only promotion but also to build a really solid foundation to grow from in the future.
"We have high ambitions and we want to keep climbing through the divisions, so this is really for us and how we want to evolve and push women and girls' football on in the future.
"The contracts give us an opportunity to protect some of our players who we really want to build a future around moving forward. We will also be able to widen our recruitment pool and bring in some external players, where we've never been able to compete with other clubs in East Anglia.
"We've got superb facilities in the Avant Training Centre, we've got exceptional work force and a footballing athletic programme that supports both development of individual players but also really hone in on achieving promotion next season. It's a real landmark moment of the club."
The women's team has now been fully integrated as part of the football club for three years and continue to build on the work each season.
Now with a full-time head coach and a larger support staff, Allen hopes that the next step is moving closer.
"It's been three years since the integration and it feels like it's flown by. Every day has brought up different challenges, different moments of success; we've had some brilliant games here at Carrow Road where we've attracted a new diverse audience and we've also seen the Lionesses come back here to play," she explains.
"It's exciting to be going into the season unbeaten in 2025; credit to Andy Cook and the staff for driving that day - today at the training ground with the players.
"The one thing that fills me with confidence is that this is the first season where we finish the campaign with a head coach and we will be building and preparing for the next season with Andy. He's had a year already in charge and next season is a year where we can really try and push towards achieving promotion.
"Ben (Knapper) and I work super closely together; he provides great direction of travel in terms of how we evolve and develop the programme. He has been instrumental in the support he has given to myself and I can only say thanks to him and all the other executive members of the club who only ever champion women's football."