Last year, I was advised to protect myself and not speak out when Reading’s owners decided to self-relegate the women’s team from the Championship. I followed that advice then, but after Blackburn Rovers announced the same path, I feel it’s time to speak up.
As players, we were completely blindsided by Blackburn’s decision. Throughout the season, despite having the lowest budget in the league, we remained positive and proud to be the underdogs. Avoiding relegation felt like a miracle in itself.
Right up until the final week of training, our manager and the general manager were telling us that the club was preparing proposals to meet the new minimum standards being introduced for next season’s Championship, now called WSL2. The club planned to submit a budget that met the criteria, which meant increasing our funding five or six times over from the £100,000 we had. Considering the men’s team reportedly had a £45 million budget, this seemed achievable.
On the Thursday before our last game against Newcastle, coaches were optimistic, and meetings with owners were scheduled to approve the plans. One-to-one talks about contract extensions were planned for the following Monday. I was more cautious than some teammates because I’d seen this before at Reading, where the women’s team was withdrawn. The late timing raised alarm bells.
Sure enough, when we returned to training on Saturday, everything changed. The team talk for the next day’s game was stark: we were playing for ourselves, not the club. The message was clear that the team we knew was disappearing.
We understood something was wrong, but a week passed with no official news. Our individual meetings were canceled, and then, on the day the club publicly announced withdrawal, the coaching staff were told about it just an hour before it went live. Our coach quickly arranged a call to explain what was happening.
Since then, communication from the owners has been minimal, limited to a basic last-minute email from HR. We don’t know what the future holds — which league the club will play in, what the staffing situation will be, or what redundancies might come. Anxiety is high.
This isn’t just an emotional reaction to Blackburn’s situation but a call for football to do better and protect the women’s game. Blackburn’s decision follows so soon after Reading’s that it exposes a troubling pattern. The game needs real change to prevent this from happening again.
Did Reading receive enough criticism? Were sanctions considered? Did their actions open the door for clubs like Blackburn to effectively abandon their women’s teams by submitting zero budgets? Reading Women had offers from investors who wanted to buy the team. There are legitimate backers who see the long-term value in women’s football, but outdated attitudes and excuses from owners hold the game back. If an owner views the women’s team as an afterthought, they should step aside and let others invest the time, passion, and money required.
Is there a “fit and proper owners” test that includes commitment to the women’s team? When owners pass the test to run men’s teams, is there any requirement for them to invest in women’s football? Because the women’s side always seems the first to be sacrificed.
The club blamed low attendance for the withdrawal, but fans aren’t attending the men’s games either. There’s been little investment in marketing the women’s matches. Fans won’t show up without a proper strategy. Emma Clark, the commercial head, worked tirelessly to attract sponsors but was continually restrained.
Blackburn’s academy has produced stars like Ella Toone, Keira Walsh, and Georgia Stanway. Now, the next generation faces no clear professional pathway. Talented girls will have to leave home, often traveling long distances during critical school years, to have a shot at progressing.
The new minimum standards introduced by WSL Football are a positive step. They include a minimum salary of around £27,000 for players my age. I was paid just £15,000 this season—less than minimum wage—with many teammates earning even less. Our training schedule was condensed to keep our roles “part-time” despite demanding full-time effort. These new rules will force owners to run women’s teams properly.
Another improvement is that the deadline for self-relegation decisions has been moved earlier, from July to May, giving players and staff more time to find new clubs and helping the league maintain 12 teams. Last year’s late announcement left the league with an uneven number of teams.
Despite these challenges, WSL2 is growing. Record attendances and budgets over £1 million at clubs like London City and Birmingham show promise.
But the women’s game remains fragile. We need owners and investors willing to take long-term risks, to invest properly, and nurture something truly special. You cannot neglect a team and expect to profit when the sport grows. It’s simple: invest or step aside.
