A TEAM of women footballers has prov-ed to be unlucky legs eleven.

The plucky new soccer outfit is making a desperate plea for support after finding itself without a pitch, sponsors, a kit and just a pittance in the bank to pay for referees.

Dorchester United Ladies FC are even wearing borrowed shirts from a men’s team for their friendly matches ahead of their debut season in the Dorset Women’s League.

Team manager Emma Rowlands, 23, from Dorchester, said: “We are the outcasts of the league.

“Our shirts are too big for us and we don’t have any sponsors or any support and we have to play our games at Redlands in Weymouth because we can’t afford a pitch in Dorchester.

“We hope that people will help us because we’re hard-working and we want to be a successful team.”

Dorchester United Ladies was formed last month after players from Dorchester Town Ladies opted to set up a new club.

Dorchester Town had folded and players formed a merger with Weymouth Ladies in March, only for the original Dorchester club to be resurrected with some players deciding they wanted to break away and start up an independent club.

So far the team has received a £60 donation from Great Western Electrical and £75 from Bar Rouge in Dorchester.

Emma, who works at New Look in Dorchester, said: “We need about £300 to £500 to get sponsors for our shirts. It’s not going to be an easy season but we’ve got high hopes and being in the position we are in is going to make us fight a little bit harder.”

NHS worker and player Becky Gale, 25, from Dorchester, said: “We want to represent the town and promote women’s football.

“We’ve come up against a lot of things that have stood in our way.”

She added: “It’s been hard work trying to get to this stage and it’s like a full-time job just trying to get some help.”

A fundraiser will be held on Saturday, August 28, at The George in Dorchester from 7pm to late to raise money for the team.

Anyone is welcome to go along and support the team at the event, which will include music, dancing and a raffle including a pair of GHD hair straighteners, two family tickets to the Blandford Steam Fair and a six-week membership at Energie Fitness for Women in Dorchester.

If you can help the team, call Emma on 07785 957458.