From WSL to grassroots – women’s teams need more protection

In recent weeks, from the top of the women’s game to the bottom, we’ve seen a series of women’s teams being sidelined and maligned. Football has to do better when it comes to protecting women’s teams at all levels – increasing the profile of the Lionesses and WSL is not enough on its own.

At Manchester United the women’s team have been kicked out of their facilities to make way for the men, Reading have withdrawn from the Women’s Championship “thanks” to owner Dai Yongge’s mismanagement of the club, while Blackburn Rovers have cut investment.

Elsewhere, at grassroots level, Thornaby FC hit the headlines after axing their girls and women’s teams – six board members subsequently resigned and a new CEO Alison McGee appointed to repair the damage.

Common problems

The excellent Since 71 highlighted a number of common themes which cause problems for women’s and girls teams including a lack of “the most basic support from their clubs, especially at the amateur or grassroots level”.

“The common theme here is money and perhaps I should be more sympathetic to the pressures of trying to run a football club during a cost of living crisis but respect costs nothing and too often that is what is lacking,” says Since 71.

But what happens next – and how do you create a system which protects women and girls teams, while offering the support needed to grow the game?

The FA banned women’s football for 50 years and the modern game still bears the scars – the FSA believes football has a duty to keep pushing and give the women’s game the platform it deserves (and might already have had if it wasn’t for that ban).

The FSA’s head of women’s football Deborah Dilworth says: “Girls and women hear loud and clear they are not welcome, often delivered in the most subtle ways, but there are these glaringly obvious examples too.”

Deborah identifies a number of problem areas at grassroots:

• Board diversity – there is all-too-often no representation of women and/or women’s teams on boards / within club committees. That has to change at all levels.
• “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” – outdated policies can cause havoc for women’s teams. Deborah heard of one club where a council facilities agreement gave free access to the men’s team for some midweek fixtures but not the women. Why is a local government body prioritising men over women? How does that fit into their equalities policy?
• Quantity over quality – we celebrate growth in terms of quantity but quality of experience is as important. Women and girls teams are sometimes used by boards for PR purposes or to secure funding for facilities to which they do not have equal access.
• FA accreditation system – the current system seems to place less value on women’s teams as, to be a Tier 3 accredited club, you must have an open age men’s team but not a women’s team. Is that really what a top accredited club should look like?

So what are the solutions?

Deborah says: “Increased board diversity helps and it’s not just about gender. It’s about ensuring football is servicing the surrounding community in the best possible way. That includes councils ensuring clubs are doing right by everyone when it comes to equality of access around funded services.

“We’d also encourage all clubs to systematically review policies so they’re relevant to the modern world – that’s something the FSA can help with as well.

“Ultimately we need all football stakeholders working together to help with solutions. It’s why implementation of the Carney Review is so important and, while the general election halted its progress, we hope that the new Government commits to this.”

Carney Review and implementation group

The Football Governance Bill was on hold during the General Election period, although we expect to see it reinstated as Labour have committed to its reintroduction and the establishment of an independent football regulator.

However, the Bill would only cover the men’s game as the previous Conservative Government said “women’s football should be treated with parity and given its own dedicated review.”

Karen Carney OBE led that review into the future of women’s football with the FSA providing evidence. Carney’s blueprint aimed to “raise standards in domestic women’s football” and led to the creation of NewCo.

We are delighted to be involved in the implementation group of the Carney Review and we believe that “legislation following the Fan-led Review should enable a future government to add the professional part of the women’s game to the remit of the independent football regulator if circumstances make that necessary.”

There is an opportunity to create a sustainable model for women’s football that learns from the harsh lessons of crisis clubs in the men’s game but forges its own way forward, building upon what makes the women’s game unique.

Deborah says: “This is an opportunity to create a fully collaborative ethos where all of the stakeholders can work together, pulling in the same direction, creating a platform from which competition organisers, regulators, players, coaches and supporters can agree a way forward to grow the game in the coming years.”

The FSA’s submission to the Carney Review highlighted the key issues identified by supporters of the women’s game and honed in on a number of important matchday issues relating to away fan culture, atmosphere, TV kick-off times and ticket policies.

Is the game at a crossroads?

Former Lewes chief executive Maggie Murphy made some interesting points on this subject in a recent LinkedIn post saying the challenges facing Reading Women are not unique to them.

Murphy suggested the entire football industry had “made demands for progress and implemented decisions that have made it close to impossible for women’s teams to survive and thrive without a men’s club stumping up significant cash – whether they want to or not.”

She said this created dependency and fragility as costs have “increased at a rate disproportionate to club revenue” and meant clubs had to rely on funding from the men’s side of the game if they hoped to compete at the top level.

“And when a crisis in ownership happens, such as is the case at Reading, the women’s team will always be collateral damage,” she adds.

Murphy’s solutions include “boring structural changes” such as cost controls, means testing, caps on loan fees, narrowing financial distribution between the WSL and the rest, while growing revenue generation with a fan-friendly approach.

Are the crossroads calling? Do we want fast-tracked concentration of power at the top or slower but more equitable and sustainable steps for all? These are questions which everyone in the women’s game must tackle – and the FSA will give supporters a voice thanks to our role on the implementation group of the Carney Review.

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