Leeds United Women will welcome Norton & Stockton Ancients to Elland Road on Sunday afternoon at 2pm as they aim to maintain their position in the FA WNL Division One North, with just two games remaining of the regular season.

In the dugout at the weekend is Simon Wood, who has been in charge of the Whites since summer 2023 and has since transformed the side, with successes in both the league and cup competitions.

In December 2024, he was named FA WNL Manager of the Month after his side maintained a 100 per cent record throughout, following impressive victories over Durham Cestria and Stockport County.

Alongside his role as the first team boss, Wood works for the club full-time within the foundation, leading the Health and Wellbeing department – managing initiatives that support community health and youth engagement.

Ahead of the match at the weekend, Simon spoke to the media to share his thoughts on the season so far, and what it will mean to manage at Elland Road again.

“We are approaching the game in a way where we are looking forward to the season coming to an end in the fact that it's been such a long season," he said.

“We have got two games to go in the league, and we have got potential of the West Riding FA County Cup to play as well, so we have got a few games there. We are excited by it.

“This year, we have had a really good season, and we currently sit top of the league. Until we get to that last game of the season, we will not know what we need to do to hopefully fulfil our goals for the season.

“I have immense pride in the players, and the staff because everyone is pushing, everyone is working hard, people are speaking about Leeds United Football Club, and that is where we want it to be.

“When we focus on the performance, we have got a good group of players that know what the expectations are, know what their standards that they set themselves as a group are, and it has stood us in good stead.

"Playing at Elland Road brings a bigger crowd and brings a bit more expectation, but I think with the group of players we have got, they thriving that sort of environment, because it gives them a chance to showcase what they are as footballers, and it gives the players that opportunity to go and play from a larger crowd.

“We have played in front of big crowds before because we have had opportunities to do that this year, we played at Huddersfield in the local derby which we won, and then we played at Harrogate Town in the County Cup.

“We played at Elland Road last year, and we had a lot of this group that did that, so I think the nerves behind that will not be as big as they were last year, but what we will do on the day is we will go into match mode that we would normally do.”

The Whites have faced Norton across the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, the FA WNL Cup, and the FA WNL Division One North so far this season, with Simon Wood’s side unbeaten across those matches.

Speaking on Sunday’s opposition, the boss said, “They are a really good example of a tier four club, they are a family club, so it is great that they are getting an opportunity as well. I think the Norton players will be up for it, so it will be an exciting game.”

From a personal standpoint, Sunday's fixture will not be Simon’s first time managing at Elland Road and he spoke about how special it will be for him to take charge at the iconic stadium.

“It does not really hit you until you go out and Marching on Together is playing. What really hit me last time was you go out, and the fans were all in the East Stand and we had 5,000 people there last year.

“You just see this wall of yellow, white, and blue, and it is a moment where you actually just have to take a step back and take a breath. Having that experience great, but I think when on Sunday, I will just take a look around and just pinch myself.

"When you see a stadium that has a big crowd and they have all come to see the women's team playing, there will be immense pride in that.

“We need to make sure that we take it all in and take that opportunity to reflect on how well the team is doing to be playing at Elland Road, and how well the club have been supported by the board, and the club as a whole, to allow us to play it at Elland Road and have a big attendance.”

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