LEEDS United Ladies new manager Julie Chipchase believes her team are ready to taste success with Women's football at the club stronger than ever before.

Julie has left twelve years involvement with Doncaster Belles where she has been a player, reserve team manager and first team manager to take charge of United ladies following the departure of Mark Hodgson last week.

A three-times Women's FA Cup winner, she's taken up a position she believes will provide her with the challenge she needs.

"I have been there 12 years, it has been a massive wrench to leave. The decision was really, really difficult.

"The approach came  from Leeds United and it has taken a lot of thought and conversation with different people, but I do think it is the right decision for me as a manager and coach.

"Doncaster were perhaps on the verge of being successful and it's maybe a big disappointment for them.  I have enjoyed success with them and have enjoyed being there but unfortunately for Belles I feel I need a new challenge and an opportunity to be better as a manager and a coach and Leeds United can give me that."

At Leeds she's seen the benefits that being aligned to a professional football club can have, and predicts that hard work of the previous few years is about to come good by delivering success.
 
"I think Leeds United have got some great players, people like Sue Smith, Leanne Hall, Shelly Cox and Clare Scanlan are all great players, I think the squad as a whole has a lot of strength in terms of the international players,  but also they have a great youth structure now.

"All their teams won their division last season and that says to me that the structure is good and they are getting quality coaching.

"Through my job as a football development officer in this area I was aware of what Football in the Community at Leeds United are doing for women and girls in this area, and I have been really impressed with this and the way the youth structure has been set up - a lot of the credit for that has to go to my predecessor Mark Hodgson.

Doncaster finished second in the Nationwide FA Women's Premier League last season, and the one regret she has about the move is that she's left without having won anything.

"I was almost there with Belles as regards lifting a trophy and that's one of the sad parts leaving - I haven't achieved that with the players.

"But I have some great memories leading the Belles out against Fulham at the cup final last season with 2.5 million people watching it on TV, that was fantastic, and I want to bring those sorts of things to Leeds United and go one step further and actually win."

General Manager Melanie Vauvelle believes Chipchase can deliver success for Leeds Ladies.

"The Club is delighted Julie has joined Leeds, "she said.

 "She has had a great track record as manager of Doncaster Belles and has consistently taken them to Cup finals and finishing second in the league last season was a terrific achievement. Julie shares the same Club ambitions and is looking forward to building on a very successful structure.We look forward to giving her the support she requires to achieve this"