Leeds UNITED Ladies

Leeds United Ladies forced to rebrand

Leeds United Ladies are set to be re launched tonight as Leeds Ladies after Leeds United club owner Massimo Cellino withdrew support.
It was feared the city’s leading female football team, set up in 1989, might fold after the Italian businessman took over in April and hinted he did not want the Ladies to use United branding.

Chairman of Leeds United Supporters’ Trust, Gary Cooper said: “We’ve been waiting for a decision for weeks. I spoke to Massimo back in May and he told me he wasn’t particularly interested in the women’s team.”
Leeds United Ladies have been funded by the Leeds United Foundation- the charitable arm of the club – who provided an annual £25,000 towards running costs.

Alan Scorfield, member of the Leeds United Foundation, said he didn’t want to comment on why the foundation has withdrawn support.
He said: “Leeds Ladies is a brand new club and it has nothing to do with us.”

Unable to use the branding and badges of Leeds United AFC, Leeds United Ladies will now continue as Leeds Ladies FC and have created their own branding but said they are keen to keep the traditions of the Yorkshire football club alive.
Mr Cooper said: “This meeting tonight ensures that the traditions and essence of Leeds United will live on through us and allow the City of Leeds to have a female team that are steeped in the traditions of the club.”

Leeds United Ladies were a former Women’s Premier League team but now find themselves starting life as a new brand in Division One.
Gary Cooper said he still thinks it is possible for them to go all the way to the Women’s Super League, the highest competitive level in the women’s game in England, if the right structure and support is put in place.
He added: “It won’t be easy, but it is certainly possible. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Leeds United said they did not wish to comment.

http://www.yorkshire-voice.com/leeds-united-ladies-launch/

I personally find it utterly disgraceful the attitude of Cellino and Scorfield towards Leeds United Ladies. For those of you who don't know, Leeds United Ladies are traditionally one of the biggest women's football teams in the country. Just the season before last, they reached the Premier League Cup final and very nearly won the Women's Premier League National Division (then the second tier of the game), they've also I believe reached the FA Women's Cup final on more than one occasion. Unfortunately they've been screwed over the FA with the expansion of the Super League. Nevertheless, they do not deserve to be treated in such a disgraceful manner. I for one will be calling them Leeds UNITED Ladies, whatever Massimo Cellino and Alan Scorfield may say

 

Unfortunately the club has huge debts that have been allowed to fester and swell. Cellino cut back on staff by making people redundant and even closed Thorp Arch for the summer. He's paying off big debts and why should the ladies team, which we are not responsible for be given cash when people are losing their jobs. I have no issue with the ladies but they are not part of the club and I wish them well, but Leeds Utd is a registered trade mark/brand and nobody can use it or be associated with it without consent and paying a license fee.

 

So how hard would this have been? Cellino says to the Ladies that Leeds United don't have the cash right now to fund them, but maybe in the future when the club is back in the Prem he will look at it again and if its possible, help the Ladies financially. In the meantime, the Ladies are FREE to use the Leeds United badge, play in the club's colours and have a FREE page in the club's matchday programme to promote themselves ... and their own page on the club's official web site. Also, when possible, the Ladies will be invited to join coaching sessions with the First Team to learn and progress. Cellino would be honoured to attend two Leeds United Ladies games a season as their "Special Guest" to help forge a bond. Added to this, Leeds United will speak to their sponsors to see if their would potentially be a willingness to sponsor the Ladies as well, even if it is for a small amount. So I ask again, how hard would it be to do something like this? Why not help build a Ladies team in a fast growing market segment that we can be proud of as a club?

Once again Leeds United simply butcher another good opportunity to build its brand and goodwill out there. I think it may well be that the negotiations with Cellino were pretty pathetic, and as such he didn't take to them. Leeds Ladies should rethink their strategy when it comes to dealing with the club, and take small steps at first. When you look at other clubs, they are starting to really buy into the Ladies brand, and the leading light over the years has been Arsenal by a long way, but others are now stepping up as well. Take a look:

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Teams/Women

http://www.arsenal.com/ladies/players

http://www.chelseafc.com/teams/chelsea-ladies.html

All these are proudly represented as part of the main club site, complete transparency and there to promote their Ladies teams. In all honesty, I am totally flabbergasted that Leeds United are not making an effort. Is it because the talks with Cellino were approached the wrong way, or is Massimo simply an arrogant cnut who can't see the wood for the trees? Right now Leeds United should be offering to help the Ladies team in other ways if they can't financially, and I just don't get this pathetic swipe-and-be-gone approach. My daughter, who used to come to many Leeds games with me (yes, she even sat through the Preston 4-6 debacle, and Shaks met her after a Tuesday night Leyton Orient game) decided to switch to Arsenal because she could identify with their Ladies team. Now, before you start off with "traitor" and "club for life", just think it through. Here's another example. I went to see the Rhinos get thumped at Wembley a couple of seasons or so ago with my son (he is still Leeds even though they play like girls) and on the train after the game we were sat with a family in Rhino shirts, all glum. Got talking about the football and the dad says, "Don't ask her, she's Chelsea", pointing to his daughter all kitted out head to toe in Leeds Rhinos gear. "Why?", I asked. Her response? You guessed it, they have a Ladies team and at least they don't play in red. So there you go. How many more young female supporters will we lose in this manner? When these girls become mothers, who do you think they are going to encourage their kids to follow?

So it just doesn't make sense to me that Leeds United want NOTHING TO DO with the Ladies team. It's a massive error regarding brand development and promotion, and therefore a plain stupid and senseless decision. Then again, it is Leeds United, home of doom and gloom, rubbish football, forever doomed to live in the past as our support base slowly shrinks to nothing.

 

Whoah, there! Big assumptions being made here. The most crucial that we as LUFC supporters care about Leeds Ladies. I don't. And going by their attendances, not a lot of others do either. So why the big hullabaloo when MC rights a wrong, effectively, by detaching us from them. Nowt to do with us, no benefit to us. So why should we be made to feel awkward about this? I feel it's simply a 'have a go at MC' opportunity that a few are not going to miss.

And don't give me that nonsense about it attracting little girls to the club. Bollox. It's their parents, grandparents, big brothers or whoever that take them to see matches that count. Not a bloody ladies club. I think it's fair to say that we have a good mix of male/female kids presently, so we must already be doing something right.

So give over - stop trying to make us & the club feel guilty. It achieves nothing & it'll change nothing.

End of rant.

 

Can't agree with that Whitejock, the money Leeds donated to keep the Ladies club going amounts to free advertising, understandably not many bother watching the team but some girls/ladies will go on to support Leeds through the connection made through the ladies team, also any success they may have is free publicity.
With half the population being female and all of the population coming from a female this is a short sighted cost cutting exercise that in time will cost more than what was saved short term.

 

Jock ... fair enough, you don't care about the Ladies ... this has nothing to do with guilt tripping anyone, just making the point that its an opportunity missed ... we want to be respected as a "big" club yet we don't want to behave like one


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And I can't agree with you, Ringo. Free advertising? We don't need it! A few of them coming over to support the mens team? Really worth £25k a year? I could get us more supporters for £25k a year! And we seem to be doing alright for female supporters anyway, so why the positive discrimination? There are far more cost effective and appreciated ways of attracting support. Getting players out into schools for a start. Costs nothing & wins a lot of hearts & minds.

 

Billy, we don't behave like a big club 'cos we don't have the funds of a big club. Every penny should be a prisoner & only spent in furthering the club's progress. Giving £25k pa to the ladies team gains us precisely nothing. You'll be telling me next that we should be fully adapting the continental model of starting a basketball team, plus a ladies basketball team!

You're right about it being an opportunity. An opportunity to save money!

 

Less than £500 a week to keep a load of sorts happy is not much too pay Whitejock, it costs me near on that to keep the one i've got happy!!

 

My goodness, Whitejock, I can't believe your attitude towards women's football. Just because YOU don't care about it, doesn't mean plenty don't. And think about it, these young women still represent the city of Leeds, do they not deserve your support just as much the men? If not, why not? Is women's football somehow less worthy of support then men's football?


And £25k per year, is that really so much? I bet most of your players get more than that in a week. Why should people who want to play and represent Leeds United AFC not get an opportunity to do so, just because they happen to be a woman? Some boy growing up in the suburbs can dream of donning the famous white, why shouldn't the same dream be a possibility for a girl? Also, I'm shocked that you would consider being affiliated to a women's football team 'a wrong'.

Not to mention, according to the article, that funding came from the Leeds Supporter's Trust NOT Leeds United AFC. From what I can gather, Leeds United AFC provided backing in the form of providing a kit, giving them the chance to play at Elland Road, allowing them to use the name and brand, etc.

 

I think you'll find that it was the Leeds United Foundation and not the Trust, but it's academic anyway. There are many deserving causes. What about the kids in the cancer ward, for example, that want to play for Leeds but never will? I would say that they are a much higher priority for attention than women's football.

Now as to your point about caring for women's football - you can care by going to see them & paying at the turnstile. And just because they represent the city of Leeds means not a whit to me. I don't follow either of the rugby teams. Is that equally sacrilegious?

Why am I supposed to follow all things Leeds? I support LUAFC. End of. I also support Partick Thistle, who represent Glasgow. However, although they also represent Glasgow, I cannot bring myself to support Rangers, Celtic, Queens Park or Clyde. Or am I wrong not to be more inclusive as you advocate? Your argument is totally ludicrous.

 

Sorry but I agree 100% with Whitejock (and it has nothing to do with chauvinism, it's just a matter of saving money and channelling funds in the right direction)

And yes, even if it is only £25,000

 

But you're not saving money - The foundation was sponsoring them - along with the disabled, disaffected youngsters, inactive youngsters, and loads more in the community.
What next, you stop the ability counts programme, and isolate yourself from work in the community?

http://www.leedsunitedfoundation.com/ Well worth a look Jock - you might change your mind

NB - No club in this country does more in its Community than Millwall do

 

I do, I've been to plenty of women's football games.

There are plenty of worthy causes that I have no doubt the Leeds United Foundation support. The general view is by supporting grassroots football, it helps to give young people opportunities which they may not otherwise have, helping them to develop socially and allowing them to study some vocational qualifications, as well as getting them active and engaged in sport. If you don't agree with that, you may as well stop funding grassroots football fullstop. I wouldn't say one cause is somehow more worthy than another as each are worthy in their own way.

Obviously not, but the Ladies team are LUAFC so by supporting LUAFC, there is no real reason to not support LUAFCL. It's the same club, the same team. At least it was. It's not just some other club that happens to be based in Leeds, ala the rugby clubs.

Plus rugby's a crap sport anyway.

 

Look, you just don't get it, do you? If we were interested, we'd go see them & pay our money at the gate. Then they wouldn't need supporting financially. But no-one is interested & they will NOT be funded by the fans. End of story.

I'm more upset that they stopped the creche for the kids on match days. Now that WAS worthy of subsidy!

 

Sorry for the ladies,
But who really cares?
Womens football is. Not a big pull,at any level.

 

If only women's football had highlights like this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5CH5eHNpTc

 

The Millwall "ladies"

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Oh yes, the old shirt swapping joke, I haven't heard that one a thousand times before

You should give it a try, some of the football is decent quality, as long as you don't compare it to men's football, because the sheer difference in the number of players, full-time players and facilities makes such comparisons pointless. But I've personally seen some brilliant goals. As long as you have some kind of connection to the team in question, you may enjoy it.

So the hundreds of people that go to Leeds UNITED Ladies matches count as no-one? Like I said, don't presume that because you have no interest, doesn't mean nobody has any interest. 80,000 people saw England Women v Brazil in the Olympics, would suggest that there is some interest. Also, I presume the Leeds Foundation gives money to school teams, etc.... I suppose as few people go to watch them, they should stop providing money for them as well? Plus, I doubt any team in Premier League, Champion and League 1 are self-sustaining on gates alone.

 

Just give it a fcuking rest, will you? We're not interested & no matter how much you whine on, it won't make any difference. Go away.