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LEYTON ORIENT WOMEN FC

We’re an independent fan's group, here we share what we know about the various women’s teams who've played under the Leyton Orient name since 2014. If you have more info, we’d love to hear it.

There’s little record of any formal women’s team before 2014. Some fans tell of a social side but details are scarce — no league history, no known structure. If you know more, please get in touch.

Kikk Utd at Mile End in 2014

In the early 2010s, a team called Kikk Utd played in the Women’s National League, they were based at Mile End. In 2015, they rebranded as Leyton Orient WFC following a formal contract deal with the Becchetti led club, they retained their own internal independent organisation. The team performed well, climbing the South East Regional League and winning a treble in 2016/17, led by standout player Sophie LeMarchand. However, the nature of that agreement would later come back to bite the club and the women's group in particular.

By 2017/18, the team was competing in Tier 3 of the women’s pyramid. But after Becchetti’s exit, the new owners eventually (in 2021 after two cancelled seasons due to COVID) questioned the internal arrangements with the women's team. They felt the women’s operation was run independently despite wearing the badge and receiving support from Leyton Orient. The resolution talks failed and so the partnership ended, there was significant acrimony, it was a messy divorce.

Treble winning Orient team - 2016/2017

The former Orient women’s team then rebranded itself as London Seaward FC and continued in the same league having retained their FA registration. Leyton Orient FC, now without a registered women’s side, had to start again from the very bottom.

The new Orient women’s team joined the Greater London Women’s Football League Division Two in 2021/22, the two prior seasons having been cancelled due to the COVID arrangements. Despite a rushed recruitment they finished a creditable third and were promoted to Division One because other teams higher up the leagues had folded and left vacancies. Life was becoming expensive in the National Leagues thus forcing a number of independent clubs to close.

Orient's volunteer coaching crew: 2022 to 2025

In 2022/23, under coach Danny Martin, the team went unbeaten and won promotion to the GLWFL Premier Division (Tier 7). Captain Olivia Worsfold and star striker Jordan Feldman were instrumental in the team’s success.

Olivia Worsfold and Jordan Feldman

The 2023/24 season saw Orient finish third, narrowly missing promotion to Tier 6.
The 2024/25 season, despite raised expectations, saw other clubs make some significant improvements which left the Os struggling near the foot of the table. The club responded by replacing coach Martin and appointing Olivia Worsfold as head coach and Director of Women’s Football to lead a recovery.

Meanwhile, American businessman Jim McCaffrey, a regular spectator at Brisbane Road, had become a major club sponsor via Eastdil Secured Ltd. His daughter Stephanie, a former US international, joined the club as a player for the start of 2024/25 season whilst also launching her own sports venture in London. Ultimately, Steph's involvement was to usher in an entirely new organisation.

Responding to the poor start in 2024/25, it was felt that something more than changing the coach needed to be done to turn the results around. The McCaffrey family put together a plan and formed MFG (McCaffrey Football Group) whose aims included strengthening the support to the women's team and building a more robust club structure. Consequently, a small group of experienced senior players were recruited from the UK and USA and joined the team helping it to recover and finish the season fourth. MFG formally took control of the women's section at the end of the season, Jason Stephens, formerly with Hashtag United, was recruited to take over team affairs once the 2024/25 season had finished.

MFG had formally acquired 80% of the women’s team, with the club retaining 20%. Jason Stephens was appointed as women's CEO in addition to being the head coach, Olivia Worsfold moved to women's youth development. The revamped squad attracted Tier 3-level talented players who were mostly business and/or career women who preferred a balanced life/training regime over the extreme demands (and low income) of most full-time professional women footballers. Only an elite few attract the big bucks!

Today’s Orient women are a team of high-achieving, like-minded individuals — a vision shaped by Stephanie McCaffrey herself. None of the original 2024/25 squad remain but their legacy is clear and valuable. We salute them for lifting the club from grassroots to Tier seven.
Now, with the 2025/26 season underway, the new-look team is sweeping aside all challengers. How far this momentum will take us, we don’t yet know but we’re proud to be part of it. We urge you to come aboard this exciting bandwagon, these things don't come around too often!

Our people 2025/26
Back row: Abbie Brunker, Jason Stephens, Emily Dilliway, Georgia Griffin, Ellie Leek, Grace Gillard, Lola Duroyaiye, Kallie Balfour, Gemma Baker, Lucy Porter, Stephanie MCCaffrey, Craig Davidson, Wayne Rothon.
Front row: Sammy Rowland, Hayley West, Wiki Fronc, Olivia McGrefor, Esme Lancaster, Poppy Binding, Wiktoria Kiszkis.