Derby County Ladies Football Club is planning to change its name to Derby County Women from next season.
The team announced the change, which is subject to FA approval, to coincide with International Women’s Day.
Nick Britten, Derby Women governance board chairman, said: “There has been a noticeable shift in recent years of female clubs migrating from having Ladies to Women within their name, with many of those changes taking place within the top two tiers of the game.
“It’s an indicator of how the game has progressed, and as an ambitious club with aspirations to secure a place within the Women’s Championship, we felt the time was right to follow suit.”
Duncan Gibb, Derby Women chief executive, added: “It’s been well documented that Derby County Football Club is implementing a “One Club” philosophy, from the main club to the Women’s to the Community Trust.
“In terms of the female arm there has been tangible evidence of that intent across all aspects of our delivery; whether that be financial and day to day operational support, or our inclusion in kit launches, kit deals, Rams TV coverage and the end of season club awards.
“The change of name not only captures the closer synergy with the main club, but evidences our desire to align ourselves to the exciting develops within the national game.”
Derby had been playing under their ‘Ladies’ name since the teams inception in 1990 but felt that this change had to be made to keep up with the other teams in the division.
All of the club’s social media channels now reflect the change, completely eradicating all mention of the word ‘ladies’.
On the same day of the announcement, Derby lost their six game winning streak as they drew 1-1 with AFC Fylde Women.
