This article highlights the precarious position of Women's clubs, when a side in the 2nd Tier goes to the wall. The stance taken by the PFA on this is astounding and it's good that Roker Report and other Fans groups have voiced their support to a campaign for change. This is a good read for anyone genuinely interested in football, not just applicable to the women's game, but to lower league clubs too. I hope that Kristian Speakman and Mel Reay get their heads together and sign 1 or 2 of these lasses up, as the squad needs strengthening anyway. https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/20...t=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Surely the womens teams have to find a way to self fund, can’t expect clubs to keep throwing money at them. You have to be mad or stupid to put money into something with no return.
Sadly that 'no return' applies to most football clubs... The old saying how do you get a small fortune, start off with a large one and buy a football club!
Most women's clubs in the top 2 tiers are backed by clubs in the men's game, because WSL is growing in popularity and more money is available to those clubs, as well as more lucrative sponsorship deals. These clubs won't be doing it out of charity, they are doing it because they see the bigger long term picture.Women's wages are generally in proportion to what clubs generate through gates and sponsorship, so they are not "throwing millions away". A couple of years ago, there was little or no coverage of Domestic Womens Football, now BBC and Sky are covering it, but the money coming in to the Womens FA needs to be redistributed throughout the top 2 leagues and eventually further down to encourage more competition and allow more clubs to employ full-time professionals. Coventry United were not backed by Coventry City and as a result had little sponsorship or promotional strength that clubs like Sunderland now enjoy. The PFA will only accept WSL players as members, which is an absolute disgrace and consequently they have no representation or support when a club like Coventry goes to the wall.
I commented on the demise of Coventry on another thread and probably got too argumentative. It became about whether a womans team could compete with a mens team which is not the point. The point, for me at least, is whether they get a fair crack of the whip and I dont think they do. But it is much wider than just the womens game, it is everyone below the precious 6 prem teams that dont get a fair crack. As you say mate if anyone cares about football they should care about this. Until redistributuon of premier league revenues is equitable the game outside of the top 6 will continue to decline, and those striving to improve, such as the womens game or grassroots will be unable to do so. There is so much wrong with English football it is frightening. I predict within 10 years a huge overhaul will have happened, whether by design or necessity is yet to be seen. This case highlights many of the problems. An owner who can after 6 months just pull the plug, with no safety net for players staff and fans. A football governance structure that is toothless to intervene, and lacking in capability to prevent such things happening. A players union who are hopeless (in this case are downright scandalous). And even in the case of the womens game a desire to create a product based around a small number of clubs who can make England look good on the european stage. The WSL is heading much the same way as the premier league. I actually think Tracey Crouch has it wrong in wanting an independant review of the womens game. The game is the game whoever plays it and wherever it is played. It is why we call it the global game. We all face the same challenges, just at a different scale. The answers are universal in my opinion. The start point is better redistribution of the money from the premier league. That is something that may best be triggered by the breakaway 6 actually breaking away and foregoing voting rights. I watched all of the big 6 recently and frankly they arent that good, certainly not good enough to put at jeopardy the future of the rest of the game.
Great post mate. As you say, it's about levelling playing fields to stimulate competition and growth in the game as a whole, not just the top 6, whether that be in the men's or the women's game. On a separate issue: If a player is professional (that is their chosen profession), then surely they should not be denied the right to join the Professional Footballers Association.
Are the viewing figures any good out of curiosity? Be interesting to see what Sky or The BBC would do if the interest isn’t there. That would be really concerning for the WSL
I don't know mate, but I guess that enough people must have watched the 'Women's Football Show' for the Beeb to commit to showing live games. @Nads works for Sky, so he might have an idea of the viewing figures for them. They show women's netball, so I would imagine the football would outdo that.
It is a disgrace on behalf of the PFA mate. They need to explain the rationale for that exclusion. The only criteria to join the PFA should be to be a professional footballer.
