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The reading room will work part-time after being relegated from the Women’s Super League – a move that has been criticized as a “backward step” for the women’s game.
Reading fell to the championship last month when they lost to Chelsea on the final day of the WSL season, ending their eight-year stay in the top women’s league.
As the only WSL side without the lucrative backing of a men’s Premier League club, Reading’s financial woes have been well documented in recent years. A decade ago it cost the Berkshire club just over £100,000 a season to fund the club’s women’s side, but that figure has grown exponentially with the increased profile of women’s football.
A cut in funding for the women’s side was also highly likely given Reading’s men’s side were relegated to the top flight for the first time in 20 years last month after being stripped of six points in April for breaching the Football League’s financial rules. .
However, the club’s decision to revert to a part-time model was heavily criticized in the hours after it was announced on Tuesday. Northern Ireland and Bristol City striker Rachel Furness wrote on social media: “Such a sad day that this is STILL happening in women’s football. I really sympathize with the people I know [are] associated with this club. Another disappointment and a step backwards in a sport we thought was growing and progressing!”
In a lengthy statement, Reading stressed that all areas of the club were under financial pressure – noting that the men’s first-team wages had been halved since 2019 – and added that he would now focus on building a “sustainable” model for his women. the team.
“We are aware that the women’s game is making great progress,” the club announced. “Despite seeing a significant spike in interest following England Women’s success at the Euros last summer, an increased average entry for Reading FC Women and a consequent increase in sponsorship and broadcast income, our owner still only needed to secure less than £1 million in funding Reading FC Women in 2022-23. In addition, relegation to the Championship will result in a significant drop in transfer fees and central funding from the FA.”
Dai Yongge, the owner of Reading FC, has invested around £6m over a five-year period to keep the club in the First Division – although this sum is considerably less than the WSL’s so-called ‘big four’ of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
With the move to a part-time model, Reading’s chances of getting back from the Women’s Second Division at the first question have also been severely compromised. While the women’s championship is technically still semi-professional, more and more teams are already operating full-time.
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