For five players this season promises to be the biggest one in their fledgling careers in the women's game.
Olivia McGregor, Ruth Jackson, Lou Jackson, Zara Clarke and Isabelle Martin have made the step up from Gillingham Football Club's Centre of Excellence to the full Ladies team.
Each of them will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of some of last years in take that excelled in the ladies side like Deanna Cooper, Jessica Nunn and Charlotte Abbott.
Two of the five players had a taste of Ladies action towards the end of last season as they trained with and played for the ladies teams.
One of the two was Liv McGregor who loved her time with the Gills Centre of Excellence and is looking forward to playing for the Ladies side.
She said: "It was a very good experience being part of the centre of excellence, it helped me to develop into a better player over the years and I thoroughly enjoyed playing for them.
"Playing for the ladies is a completely different class, the level of football is greater and everything is more professional. It is a pleasure to be playing alongside some high quality players which influences me to step up my game and aim to become a better player.
"Last season playing for the ladies was a great opportunity and experience, I was very grateful to be a part of it early and I think it encouraged me to look forward to signing this season making me very keen to move into the squad.
"This season I have many expectations of myself to become a better player overall, I am looking forward to achieving many goals with the Gills and obviously winning the league."
One person who is delighted to see the five girls making the step up to the Ladies side is manager Ian Varley.
Giving his opinion on the girls, he said: "It shows how well the Centre is being run as we have some excellent players who have come through.
"To give them the opportunity to test themselves at Premiership level is a huge experience for them and something they can only improve from.
"Livvy has proved she can play at this level so I will be looking for the same from the other girls as well as the season progresses."
It is fair to say that one person above all has had a big influence on the girl's career so far and that is Pete Sayer who runs the Centre of Excellence.
He is rightly proud of the players that the Gillingham Football Club Centreof Excellence has produced over recent years and the success that they are having, and he has no doubt that the current crop will follow in the same footsteps.
He said: "Whilst we can't guarantee how players will turn out when they reach 16, we do everything we can to prepare them for the step-up into the women's game.
"It is natural that players will develop at different rates and it might take some a while to get used to the changes in style, physicality and pace of the game; however they all have a desire to compete and do well and more importantly to learn.
"It is hugely important that the girls have a pathway into the women's game after they leave the Centre of Excellence.
"I am very proud of the progress that we as a club have made with regards to the C of E and Ladies team and the links we have forged. Martin and Ian's organisation and ambition for the Ladies team as a whole has meant that we no longer have to watch our better players drift off to other clubs and can be proud of the girls who make the step up into the women's team.
"All of the girls who are joining the team next season have a real passion for the game and a desire to succeed. They have all worked extremely hard over the past few years at the Centre, some have been with the club for nearly eight years, and will continue to do so in future.
"They have spent the last few years playing against elite female youth players from around the country, testing themselves against the best each week, which will stand them in good stead for the future. I wish all of them the very best of luck."
