Just had a check over the forum history and couldn't find anything on this subject. Doncaster Belles ladies team have been relegated from the womens premier league this season after having played just one game. This even considering the facts that Liverpool ladies team have finished bottom of the league in the past two seasons, and the belles are the only team to have featured in the premier division each year since it was formed. Next year, the FA have seen fit to replace Doncaster with Manchester City, a team who finished in fourth place of the second division last year. I'm sure everyone can draw their own conclusions. Seen as Doncaster is my hometown, I feel attached to their plight, as well as enraged at one of the outrageous FA decisions in a stack of bad decisions. A petition has been set up in an effort to force a reverse. The report and petition can be found on the following link (Hopefully it has worked this time!) :- http://popularstand.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/the-belles-toll-update-and-points-of-action/ As a Newcastle follower I'm not the FA's biggest fan and would have thought you guys would find this interesting. Please sign the petition and thanks in advance to those that do
Done! This is utterly despicable. Man City, not content with interfering with the domestic game via over inflated transfer fees, decides to mess with the lasses game too. It's this kind of this that makes some people turn their back on the game. I think City just went to the top of my 'most hated' list.
Done. Good Luck tho, the F.A. are not noted for listening to the rabble, oops i mean paying public. Or for taking particularly fair or reasonable decisions.
done,the fa are a disgrace,years ago they voted Gateshead out of the league and voted in some chums in from down south so there other chums wouldn't have to travel so far!the arsenal were relegated before the first world war,after the war there was a meeting guess who got voted back into the top division?its not who you know,its who you blow!
Sunderland ladies were relegated to the 2nd tier on 'commercial and marketing grounds' They topped the league for 5 months! How can anybody give Womens football any respect when it's as bent as it is? Corrupt ****ers. it's a laughing stock.
I am absolutely shocked by this decision. Doncaster Belles are one of the most respected and long standing teams in the history of Women's Football. When l was playing in the late 70's, early 80's they were one of the toughest teams going, l know l had the bruises to prove it after having played them in a cup game. Other very skillful ladies teams have come and gone, others have been unable to maintain their status at the top level, my old team Lowestoft Ladies being an example, but The Belles have always been permanent. I know the FA will argue that they no longer meet certain criteria etc etc, but it is sad to note that history and being what l would consider part of the intrinsic fabric of the Womwns game, is no longer seen as being credible, sadly l suspect money and financial clout may well be. It was also noted that The Belles were not always able to reach the stipulated minimum number of supporters at their matches. Wigan were not threatened with relegated from the premiere league because the crowds at their games were so tiny as compared with other teams. So it beggars belief that this is a criteria for inclusion in the top flight of Women's football, when everyone knows how hard is can be to attract and maintain high levels of support. That said there were over 80 thousand at the Olympic Games Women's Football Final at Wembly, so the interest is definitely there. For me it's very typical and short sighted of the FA to demote a club like The Belles who have such a strong tradition in the Womwns game. Decisions like this do nothing in my opinion to further or promote our cause.
Cheers guys. This has been circulated around other forums and it's nice to see fans standing together over important issues such as this. I just feel it's getting out of control and can agree that many might be turned away by how football has become so money and business motivated. It seems the FA are doing their best to keep this fiasco out of public attention though. At the womens (televised) FA cup final at the keepmoat, bells, leaflets and a banner reading 'Doncaster Belles - 22 years in the top division ended by the FA's Gr££d' were confiscated.
