Fears grow that Blackburn will withdraw from WSL 2 due to financial reasons
Blackburn Rovers' captain Tyler Toland speaks to her players as they huddle before the game against Birmingham in this season's Championship.
Blackburn Rovers' captain Tyler Toland speaks to her players as they huddle before the game against Birmingham in this season's Championship. Photograph: Craig Galloway/ProSports/Shutterstock
There are growing concerns that Blackburn Rovers may withdraw from next season's Women's Super League 2 campaign.
No decision has yet been made by the club for next season but multiple sources have indicated that the club are yet to fully commit to the extra funding needed to meet the league's enhanced minimum requirements for the 2025-26 WSL 2 campaign and Blackburn are therefore understood to have been given a deadline to confirm by next week whether or not they wish to participate.
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Simon Parker's team finished 10th, second-from-bottom, in the women's second tier this term, five points clear of danger, despite operating on what was understood on a comparatively-low playing budget. The second tier – which was previously known as the Women's Championship – was renamed as WSL 2 on Monday.
This summer, the minimum requirements to take part in the division are being increased in a bid to raise minimum standards for the players involved, to an extent whereby it is understood second-tier women's clubs will now have to essentially operate a full-time, professional operation.
The list of criteria is believed to include requirements for clubs to commit to appointing the following staff within one month of next season starting: a head of women's football, marketing manager, head coach, assistant coach, physiotherapist or sports therapist, doctor, a strength and conditioning coach, a goalkeeping coach and several people in specific safeguarding and player-welfare roles.
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Blackburn played all of their home women's matches at Ewood Park this season and their former players include the England internationals Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone and Keira Walsh and have a proud history of developing young players.
The league will be keen to avoid a repeat of last summer's situation which saw Reading withdraw from the second tier at the end of June, for financial reasons, at such a relatively late point in the summer there was deemed to not be sufficient time before pre-season to begin a process of promoting a replacement club, which led to the division only including 11 teams this season.
A source told the Guardian that one reason Blackburn have been given a deadline of next week by which to make their decision is to avoid another eleventh-hour withdrawal and ensure there is time for a contingency plan, should Blackburn decide to pull out.
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