WITH the women's football season all but complete, there have been many positives for the region, with Bradford City, Guiseley Vixens and Farsley Celtic among those winning honours.

FA Women's Premier League Northern Division side Bradford City created a new West Riding County Women's Cup record when they lifted the trophy for the fourth successive season to surpass the feats of three-time winners Leeds United and Doncaster Belles.

In Division One North, Guiseley Vixens bounced back strongly from their disappointing relegation from the Premier Division North in 2015-16, losing just one game and winning the title by a massive 15 points.

Brighouse Town had a difficult start in this division, following their promotion from the North East Regional League, but recovered brilliantly to have a fine FA Women's Cup run, finishing in the top half of the table and also being runners up in the County Cup.

Things did not go quite so well for Huddersfield Town, who finished third from bottom in the Premier Division, or Leeds Ladies, who finished in the bottom half of Division One.

Leeds United supremo Massimo Cellini denied the Leeds Ladies side the right to use the 'United' name, and it will be interesting to see whether the club makes a fresh approach for affiliation to Andrea Radrizzani, the new owner at Elland Road.

The North East Regional League is the feeder for the FA Women's Premier League, and it won't be long before we have another of our district's sides contending for a place at the top table if Farsley Celtic's progress continues.

As it stands, Barnsley will join Brighouse Town, Hull City and Leeds as Yorkshire representatives in the Northern Premier League Division One next season, while Farsley Celtic are one of three West Yorkshire teams in the Premier Division of the North East Regional League, alongside Castleford White Rose and Wakefield.

Leeds Medics & Dentists were the West Riding County Women's League Premier Division champions but there is unlikely to be anyone dropping down from the Regional League as two East Yorkshire sides finished in the bottom two of the Southern Division.

Bradford Park Avenue had a superb last third of the season to pull well clear of relegation, with Ossett Town and Battyeford finishing in the last two places, while any promotion issues in Division One will take some sorting out as champions Tingley Athletic Reserves are unlikely to be accepted into the Premier Division with their first team already there.

Thereafter promotion and relegation issues are a problem as league officials will have to balance out the number of teams in all the divisions following a series of resignations during the season.

Brighouse Athletic finished fourth in the Premier and Silsden fifth, and will almost certainly be in the top flight again next year, while Ossett Town and Battyeford SC face relegation.

With only six teams finishing the season in Division One, there is unlikely to be anyone relegated, while any number of Second Division clubs could move up, with Clifton Rangers, Farsley Celtic Development, Leeds City, Dewsbury Rangers, Skipton Town and Silsden Development all in the frame.

At FA Women's Premier League level, Bradford City, Guiseley Vixens, Huddersfield Town and Brighouse Town are all developing players through reserve team and junior team football, so the future for the growth of the women's game is looking very positive.

It is all a far cry from the situation 30 years ago when only the now defunct Shipley-based duo of Bronte Ladies and Nab Wood Ladies were the only women's teams in West Yorkshire.