We can officially confirm that six Watford Women players have signed new contracts with the Hornets ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Megan Chandler, Flo Fyfe, Ylenia Priest, Helen Ward, Francesca Ali and Anne Meiwald have all put pen to paper on new deals for the 2022/23 National League season.
Chandler will now be entering her fourth season with Watford, having originally joined back in the summer of 2019.
The midfielder has been one of the first names on the teamsheet in her time with the club, playing an important role in helping the team earn promotion via upward movement in 2021, and displaying further consistency in the Championship.
“I’m very pleased to have signed a new contract, it was a no brainer for me,” she told watfordfc.com. “I want to help right the wrongs from last season and hopefully push towards getting us back to where we should be.
“Environment is everything to me, so being happy on and off the pitch is what I value the most. Watford is that place for me, I love it here, so you could say it was an easy decision.”
Fyfe signed for the Golden Girls ahead of last season. A regular in the starting line-up, no outfield player started more matches for the team than the forward.
She showed her versatility in several different attacking positions, always causing opposition defences problems throughout games.
“I’m really happy,” Fyfe began. “Last season ended on a sour note so I’m looking forward to being back with the girls and fighting to get back into the Championship.
“This club feels like home for me already and I want to make it a place I can stay in the long-term. Hopefully I can build on last year and take that experience into the new season.”
Signing from London City Lionesses at the start of the last campaign, 20-year-old defender Priest was a stand-out performer last season prior to suffering a serious knee injury towards the end of 2021.
Nearing a return from the anterior cruciate ligament problem, Priest is looking forward to what is to come in 2022/23.
“It’s really exciting,” Priest said. “I’m ready to start the new season and get back fit playing, and get the club back to where they belong.
“I’ve loved it, the club have been really good to me and have supported me through tough times and I owe it to them to help them get back up. I’ve really enjoyed my time here, which is why I re-signed!”
Watford Women captain Ward has also extended for another campaign, looking to add to her long list of achievements as a Hornet.
Having grown up a Watford fan, Ward has become a club legend, scoring over 100 goals and celebrating several seasons of success with the Golden Girls. Her next challenge is to lead the Hornets to another promotion, one the Wales all-time leading goalscorer will undoubtedly embrace.
A regular in the Hornets’ side the last time they won promotion from the National League in 2021, Ali will be looking to provide her experience and skill from midfield to ensure the Golden Girls replicate their past achievement and return to the Championship.
Signed in 2020, Ali was key to Watford’s midfield last season, and extends her stay in Hertfordshire as part of the club’s push for promotion.
Scorer of the last campaign’s Goal of the Season, defender Meiwald signed for the Hornets in 2019 following spells with London Bees, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotpsur.
The 27-year-old played the majority of matches from the heart of the backline last term, and provides National League experience for the upcoming season.
Watford FC Women also confirms that Sarah Wiltshire and Amber-Keegan Stobbs have moved on from the club. We would like to thank Sarah and Amber-Keegan for their efforts, and wish them all the best for the future.
