Argyle Women’s 2025/26 FAWNL Southern Premier Division Campaign gets underway on Sunday afternoon, when they play host to Hashtag United.
The tie at Home Park marks new Head Coach Marie Hourihan’s first competitive game since joining Argyle, and after a successful pre-season, she’s hoping to start positively against the Essex side.
A summer full of signings means it’s much more of a ‘new look’ Greens, but those added will look to provide Argyle with the ability needed to pick up some pivotal points early in the season.
“Everyone's really excited now to get going and get the season underway,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “We've had a good pre-season, some excellent fixtures and really good performances, but everyone's now just biting on the bit to get out and start the new league campaign.
“[Hashtag] have had some excellent results over the previous two seasons, but similar to us, they've had a change in head coach. We’ve done our preparation work as best we can, but there are going to be some different players and a new head coach, so there could be a bit of a different approach, but we are expecting a very tough game.
“Everyone plays pre-season games, so we’re trying to get access to footage and things, but there is going be an element of guesswork as well. Once we get into the game, we'll have our strategies that we've already identified, and it'll just be about adapting in-game a little bit as well.
“We're well prepared and the girls feel ready, as we all do, going into that first game.”
The final week of preparation has been jam-packed, but it leaves Argyle in good standing and belief that a strong result can be achieved at Home Park in front of the Green Army on Sunday.
Hourihan knows how important the Argyle fans will be at the Theatre of Greens and believes it’s the perfect chance to see how her side will play, with the possibility of an exciting season ahead.
She said: “We've got our structure and routine that we've blended into the last two or three weeks of pre-season. The girls are well versed in our preparation, and that doesn't change, so that process has been quite seamless, and the players are really comfortable with how we approach and prepare for these games now.
“We're in a good place. Every team picks up a few niggles during pre-season, but we should have everyone available for this weekend, ready and raring to go.
“The momentum and support from the crowd have a massive impact on the players. I like to think that they've had a nice snapshot, against Wolves, of the brand and style of football that we were trying to play - a real entertaining brand of football.
“We want to encourage everyone to come down and support the team because the more momentum we can have on and off the pitch is huge. I think this season can be a fantastic one.”
