Tue 15 Jul - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 4mins
Derby County Women have learnt their fixture schedule for the 2025/26 season.
The Ewes will once again play in the FA Women’s National League (FA WNL) Northern Premier Division, Tier 3 of the women’s English football pyramid.
Another action-packed season is expected for Head Coach Sam Griffiths’ side as they expect a competitive league schedule, as well as the FA WNL Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup competitions.
We’ve detailed the key pieces of information you need to know about the Ewes’ fixture schedule.
Derby will start the campaign on the road with a trip to Rugby Borough on Sunday 17th August.
Their first home game of the new season will come a week later at the Don Amott Arena on Sunday 24th August, against Loughborough Lightning.
The Ewes will then meet promoted Middlesbrough on the road a week later. Sam Griffiths’ side will then return to home soil for the second time in league action when they face Halifax on Sunday 14th September.
Additionally, the Group Stage of the FA WNL Cup will take place during the opening section of the season, with matches scheduled for Tuesday 19th August; Sunday 7th September; and Sunday 28th September.
Last season saw Nottingham Forest promoted out of the league into WSL2, while Stourbridge faced the drop to Tier 4.
Halifax occupied the second relegation place, but a reprieve sees them remain in the Northern Premier Division due to movement elsewhere, as Blackburn Rovers dropped from Tier 2 to Tier 4.
Loughborough Lightning
Derby’s first opponents on home soil, Loughborough Lightning, returned to the Northern Premier Division after two years in the Division One Midlands following relegation in 2022/23.
The University-based club impressed in their first season in Tier 4 in 2023/24 and missed out on promotion by goal difference alone as they ended on 53 points, the same as Champions Sporting Khalsa.
However, they continued their momentum into last season, where they stormed the league and secured promotion, going unbeaten and eight points clear, with 19 wins and three draws to their name.
The Ewes have faced Loughborough twice in the last two seasons in cup competitions – beating Lightning 2-1 in the FA WNL Cup last season and previously turning them over 4-1 at the Don Amott Arena in the Women’s FA Cup in the 2023/24 season.
Loughborough will be both the Ewes' first home game of the season and also their first match of 2026, with the away fixture coming on Sunday 4th January.
Middlesbrough
Goal difference clinched Middlesbrough promotion out of FA WNL Division One North last season.
Boro picked up 51 points, with 15 wins and 6 draws from 22 games in Tier 4, to see them ascend after three campaigns in the league.
Head Coach Michael Mulhern’s outfit lost just once as they edged out Cheadle Town Stingers - just five goals split them as Boro’s goal difference of 32 earned them their champion status.
The Ewes last met Boro in a pre-season friendly ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Derby did the double over the North-East side when they last faced competitive league action. A 2-0 away win and a 4-0 home victory for the Ewes came as Boro were relegated from Tier 3 in 2021/22.
In the 2025/26 season, Middlesbrough will host Derby on Sunday 31st August, and the reverse fixture will come at the Don Amott Arena on Sunday 8th February.
The first match of the FA WNL Cup falls on Tuesday 19th August.
But Cup competition aside, there are only two other fixtures scheduled to take place midweek for the Ewes.
These both come in the league against Stoke City, first playing the Potters at the Don Amott Arena on Wednesday 26th October before an away trip on Wednesday 18th February.
The Ewes will conclude the season with three home games in their final five fixtures.
Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday 8th March, kicks off the final stretch of the 2025/26 campaign, before back-to-back home games.
Burnley will visit the Don Amott Arena on Sunday 22nd March, and Hull City will be the opponents a week later.
The penultimate match of Derby’s campaign will be an away trip to face West Bromwich Albion on Sunday 12th April 2026.
The curtain will close in Mickleover on Sunday 26th April 2026, as Liverpool Feds take on the Ewes.
The FA Women’s National League Cup and Plate competition has been restructured ahead of the 2025/26 edition.
It will be the first time Professional Game Academies (PGAs) have been allowed to enter, with WSL and WSL2 clubs’ academy sides competing alongside FA WNL clubs.
A Group Stage has been introduced, with 88 teams split into 22 groups of four (labelled Group A to Group V). Each team will play three group matches.
The 22 group winners and the 10 best runners-up will automatically qualify for the FA WNL Cup Knockout Stage. The remaining 12 runners-up, plus the 20 best third-placed teams, will advance to the FA WNL Plate Knockout Stage.
Derby County Women will begin the cup competition in Group P, alongside Lincoln United, Notts County and Sheffield FC.
Derby County Women will enter the Adobe Women’s FA Cup at the First Round Proper on Sunday 26th October 2025.
Further details about the Adobe WFA Cup and the round draws will be disclosed in due course.
