About London City Lionesses Kent PDP
In March 2021 the London City Lionesses Kent Player Development Programme was established. This was bourne out of a formal partnership between the London City Lionesses and Kent Girls Elite FC.
London City Lionesses is a professional women only football club based in Dartford, Kent. It was established after breaking away from Millwall Lionesses in 2018. They play in the FA Womens Championship, tier 2, of the women’s pyramid.
Kent Girls Elite FC was established in July 2020 as a result of the closure of the Gillingham FC Regional Talent Club following the removal of funding by Gillingham FC as a result of the pressures put on all football clubs as a result of the Covid pandemic.
Undeterred by the collapse of the RTC the parents set about a plan to maintain a pathway for the talented footballing girls in the programme. After exploring all options it was decided that a new club would be formed and Kent Girls Elite FC was created.
We maintained 90% of the talented girls in the Gillingham RTC programme and we retained the existing coaches from the RTC meaning we had a highly talented group of players and some of the most highly qualified coaches in Kent.
The establishment of the Player Development Programme is an important step for the London City Lionesses and forms part of the long term strategy of the club. The PDP will provide a pathway from Under 12 to the LCL first team for the most talented girls in Kent.
LCL Kent PDP player pathway

PDP Vision
When establishing the PDP it was important that the objectives were set so that there is a clear plan from the outset. The objectives are:
- To provide a pathway to London City Lionesses 1st Team currently playing in The FA Women’s Championship.
- To create additional opportunities for girls and women in football
- To create pathways to produce more female coaches and referees.
- To provide accessibility of role models in the girl’s football community.
- To provide an official development pathway from youth football to senior women’s football in Kent
- To create an officially recognized player development programme, equivalent to the now defunct RTC programme, once launched by The FA in 2022