Real Bedford Women are delighted to welcome defender Blue Bartlett-Antwi to the club, with the talented youngster joining the Pirates on a dual-registration agreement from London City Lionesses.

Bartlett-Antwi has enjoyed an impressive development pathway through some of the country’s leading academies. After beginning her football journey with Tottenham’s Boys Development programme, she progressed through Arsenal’s academy before continuing her development with Edmonton Boys, Limitless Boys Academy and West Ham United’s academy.

Her performances earned her a scholarship with Tottenham Hotspur, where she captained the club’s Under-21 side while also gaining valuable senior experience during a dual-registration spell with Hashtag United. Bartlett-Antwi now joins Real Bedford alongside her commitments with London City Lionesses as she continues her development at senior level.

The talented defender’s progress has also been recognised on the international stage, earning a call-up to the Ghana Under-20 national team at the age of just 17.

Bartlett-Antwi's experience in elite academy environments and senior football makes her an exciting addition to Charlie Bill’s squad ahead of the new campaign.

Bill said: 

"Blue has come through Tottenham's PGA and gained valuable senior experience with Hashtag last season. She's a defender who loves the physical side of the game, is aggressive in her defending, and has the quality on the ball to fit our identity and the way we want to play in possession. 

She's a player with huge potential, and we're looking forward to helping her continue her development with us."

Blue on joining the Pirates:

"I’m delighted to join Real Bedford! The ambition and environment here really stood out to me, and I’m looking forward to working hard and helping the team achieve its goals this season. Let's go Pirates!"

Welcome to the Pirates, Blue.

Real Bedford Women are delighted to announce the signing of experienced forward Ellie Head, who joins the Pirates after spells with Arsenal Women, Watford FC Women and Australian side Northern Tigers FC.

A product of Arsenal’s renowned academy, Head gained valuable experience in a professional environment before joining Watford on a dual-sign agreement in 2022. She made an immediate impact for the Hornets, scoring just four minutes into her debut against Norwich City and going on to play an important role in the club’s promotion-winning campaign.

During her first season at Watford, Head made 19 appearances in all competitions as the Golden Girls secured promotion to the FA Women’s Championship. She continued to develop over the following seasons, becoming a regular attacking threat and, during the 2024/25 campaign, scored six goals in 26 appearances across all competitions.

Following her time at Watford, Head took on a new challenge in Australia, spending the 2025/26 season with Northern Tigers FC, where she continued her development and gained valuable experience playing overseas before returning to England to join the Pirates.

Comfortable leading the line, Head is a natural experienced goalscorer who combines intelligent movement, clinical finishing and a relentless work rate in and out of possession. 

Bill said: 

"Ellie has recently returned from playing in Australia, but she's someone we've known about for a long time after coming up against her when she was at Watford. She's a number nine with so many excellent attributes and brings a real presence to our attack. We're delighted to bring her in and have no doubt she'll have a big season in a Real Bedford shirt."

Ellie on joining the club:

"I’m really grateful and excited to be a part of this club. l am looking forward to what’s hopefully going to be a successful season with a great group of people."

Welcome to the Pirates, Ellie.

Charlie Bill has added further quality to his squad with the signing of attacking talent Zynia Delglyn from Loughborough Lightning.

Zynia Delglyn joins the Pirates after two impressive seasons with Lightning, where she established herself as a key player in one of the country’s most exciting university football programmes. 

During the 2024/25 campaign, Zyn played a pivotal role in Loughborough’s unbeaten FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands title-winning season, making 26 appearances and scoring 16 goals as the club secured promotion to Tier Three.

She continued her development last season in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, making 19 appearances and scoring three goals as Lightning successfully retained their Tier Three status. During the campaign, Delglyn also reached the milestone of 50 appearances for the club, highlighting the impact she made during her time at Loughborough. 

Comfortable operating across the front line, and midfield, Delglyn brings pace, creativity and an eye for goal to Charlie Bill’s side. 

Bill said "Zyn came in straight away and showed exactly the kind of technical quality we were looking for. Having previously been at Loughborough, she's built up a wealth of experience in both Tier 3 and Tier 4 of the women's game, and that really shows in everything she does. 

She's settled into the group brilliantly and has already made an excellent impact throughout pre-season. We're excited to keep working with her and we're confident she'll play an important role for us this season."

Zyn on joining "I’m really excited to be part of the club and I’m looking forward to seeing what this season brings. I can’t wait to get going, hopefully make a positive contribution to the team and have a successful season. Up the Pirates!"

Welcome to the Pirates, Zyn.

Bill continues to strengthen his squad with the signing of talented defender Daisy Hind, who joins the club with an impressive footballing pedigree and valuable experience at both academy and senior level.

Hind spent seven years in the Chelsea FC Academy, one of the country’s leading development pathways. Her performances earned her consistent recognition on the international stage, representing England from Under-14 through to Under-17 level.

During her time with the Young Lionesses, Daisy made five appearances and was selected for the UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championships, featuring in squads that travelled to Estonia and Croatia, a testament to her quality and potential.

Following her academy career, Hind joined Watford, where she spent two successful seasons. In her final campaign, she played an important role as the Hornets secured promotion to the WSL 2, gaining valuable senior experience in a competitive environment.

Now, Daisy begins a new chapter with Real Bedford, bringing composure, technical ability and a winning mentality to the squad. Her experience in elite academy football, international competition and senior promotion campaigns makes her an exciting addition as the club continues to strengthen ahead of the new season.

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Bill said: “Daisy had an excellent footballing CV and, from the moment we started working with her, we saw the qualities she’ll bring to this club, both defensively and going forward.

We were pleased to get this one done early, and we’ve already seen superb progression over the last couple of weeks. There’s no doubt she’ll continue to kick on throughout the season!”

Daisy said: “I am super excited to be part of Real Bedford. The ambition and set up around the club really stood out to me, and I can’t wait to get started and contribute to a successful season!”

Welcome back to the Pirates, Daisy.

Real Bedford Women are delighted to welcome Lily Whitelock back to the club for the 2026/27 season.

Whitelock initially joined the Pirates during the 2025/26 campaign, but after only a few weeks at the club, she was recalled by parent club Watford as they mounted their successful FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division title challenge.

Lily has been playing football from a young age and began competing in senior football at just 16, representing Ashford and Cheshunt while continuing her studies at college. A dynamic forward, she developed through Arsenal’s Under-21 academy, where she gained valuable experience, including featuring in the prestigious FIFA Blue Stars Tournament, before moving to Watford’s Under-23 side.

Her impressive development earned opportunities with Watford’s first team before she joined London Bees on loan. During the 2024/25 season, Whitelock made 13 appearances, scoring five goals and providing five assists. One of her standout displays came in a 6-2 victory away at Chesham United, where she found the net twice.

Last season, Whitelock spent the first half of the campaign with London Bees, making 21 appearances while scoring seven goals and registering nine assists. Following her recall, she made five appearances for Watford and played her part in the Hornets’ FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division title-winning campaign, securing promotion to WSL 2.

Whitelock returns to Real Bedford as an exciting attacking addition who will strengthen the Pirates’ forward line. Her intelligent movement, relentless work rate and composed finishing make her a consistent goal threat, while her creativity and ability to bring teammates into play will provide another dimension to the team’s attack.

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Bill said “We were lucky enough to work with Lily for a short spell last season, and as soon as we knew she was available, she was someone we wanted to bring back to the club this season.

She produced excellent returns in both goals and assists at Tier 4 last season, and I have every belief that she can now step up and show what she’s capable of in Tier 3, building on the experience she’s already gained with ourselves and Watford.”

Lily said: “I’m so excited to be here, I can’t wait for this season and looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together, hopefully I can make a positive contribution to the team.”

Welcome back to the Pirates, Lily.