With the potential for exciting derbies right on their doorstep, the question must be asked: why aren’t South Yorkshire women’s football clubs promoting these matchups?

Rivalries and tribalism run through the very DNA of the average football fan. They live for match days with history behind them and intensity driving them forward. 

But travel into South Yorkshire’s women’s football scene and a curious silence echoes through the stands: no local derbies and no historic grudges. 

Despite rich footballing roots for the men’s game, there are no widely recognised, promoted, or celebrated showdowns in South Yorkshire women’s football. 

These clashes are more than fixtures – they are narratives. A good rivalry creates emotion, tension, and anticipation.

South Yorkshire is home to some of the most celebrated names in women’s football and Doncaster Rovers Belles share the region with Barnsley Women’s FC, Sheffield United Women, and Sheffield Wednesday Ladies. 

Many of these clubs have faced each other on the pitch and on paper, it is the perfect recipe for compelling local clashes; but in practice these regional rivalries pass by quietly, devoid of the energy and cultural weight that could make them stand out. 

• READ MORE: From music mixing to dog boarding: a Sheffield Wednesday Ladies manager’s life beyond the touchline

The Steel City rivalry

Dave Higgins, Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday Ladies, said: “Rivalries in women’s football are not driven by the ferocity and viscous nature that the men’s game revolves around.”

“People still frown about women’s football, even though it’s a lot more integrated and taken on board because of the Lionesses. At the upper levels, the rivalry is there, and you see teams at the top of the league battling it out.”

“Crowds in our league are probably lucky to get a couple of hundred people watching. There is always an increase in the numbers there on a Wednesday versus United game. I’m not talking thousands; I’m talking tens of tens.”

Dave added that Sheffield Wednesday’s only rivals are Sheffield United Community Foundation, since there is a pre-existing city rivalry with the men’s team. 

“We’ve got Sheffield United [Community Foundation] in our league, and we always want to beat them, but it’s not as intense as men’s [games] are. It’s not like, ‘I want to pummel them, I want to break them’. It’s like ‘let’s win so we’ve got the bragging rights.’”

Sheffield Wednesday Ladies FC wear the logo of the men’s club on their shirts, but they are not under the official umbrella of the club. 

“If Sheffield Wednesday took us under their wing and promoted Sheffield Wednesday Ladies home games or ‘get yourself down to Sheffield Wednesday Ladies game, they’re playing United.’ I think that would increase the rivalry because they’d be more vociferous as they would see it as Wednesday versus United.”

According to Sarina Wiegman, Lionesses boss (2023), the women’s game “cannot be compared” to the men’s and will only become equal with further investment across the sport.

In the Women’s Super League, fixtures like Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur’s rivalry seems to transfer into the women’s game. The North London Derbies fill the stadiums in part because of the sheer nature of frequent advertising at the men’s teams games which catches the fan’s attention with dramatic slogans: ‘There’s nothing like feeling the rivalry.’

And while some South Yorkshire women’s teams are locked in competitive leagues- often playing one another in the region, those games aren’t being marketed, sponsored, or celebrated as rivalries in the same way the men’s game has been promoted. 

There is a belief that rivalries must evolve organically, but they can take time to develop.

The Barnsley rivalry

Steve Maddock, CEO of Barnsley Women’s FC, recognises that the women’s game, especially in South Yorkshire, is still developing.

“The women’s games haven’t got the history of the men’s game yet, but things have to happen in a certain game that get remembered by fans, and that’s where your rivalries start.”

One major hurdle in South Yorkshire Women’s Football is the gap between tiers. While clubs often share a postcode, they don’t often share a league. Ultimately this makes it harder to generate consistent and meaningful derbies over time. 

“There are lots of grassroots teams out there, but we haven’t got any adversaries with any of them, because we haven’t had a chance to play them apart from the county cup, which is a one off. Rivals are built up on time and history.”

Steve still recalled one particular clash that sparked a hint of conflict between Barnsley Women’s FC vs Barnsley FC Women and drew some solid support from the fans.

“The first and only time we’ve ever played Barnsley FC was in the League Cup in August 2024. There were quite a few people that turned up to that and that’s what is good for the game. We were hoping that we’re going to play them again in the county cup, but we never got drawn against each other. There will be a rivalry there, but it takes years.”

“Every year we used to play Leeds United, we used to get a big crowd because for some reason there has always been a bit of a rivalry between us. It’s good for the game when you get clubs who are rivals, but it’s difficult now due to the shift in tiers.”

The point is clear: there is appetite for South Yorkshire rivalries, but the opportunities are few and far between. Without regular fixtures and cross-club promotion, potential healthy conflict fizzles out before it has even started. 

In recent years, clubs like Portsmouth Women and Southampton FC Women have leaned into the “South Coast Derby” tag to promote fixtures. This has landed the fixtures being a larger turnout and a ‘highly anticipated clash.’ 

The most recent edition of the South Coast Derby at St Mary’s saw ticket sales three times higher than any other game during the 2024/2025 season, proving that the appetite for rivalry is there in the women’s game.

So, can that be replicated in South Yorkshire? 

Even at grassroots level, rivalries bring energy, and they drive fans to pick a team, follow results, and attend matches in person rather than scrolling online. Playing in the lower leagues shouldn’t mean South Yorkshire women’s teams get limited promotion of visibility that might drive these derbies. 

These clubs might not have deep-rooted rivalries yet- but that doesn’t mean they can’t build them. With local pride, committed players and loyal supporters already in place, the foundations are there. The challenge persists whether clubs will start shaping the narrative to turn chance fixtures into must-watch narratives.