Blackburn Rovers pull out of Women's Championship due to league demands
Blackburn Rovers have confirmed their withdrawal from the
FA Women's Championship
due to being unable to fund their squad as a professional side. The club is now in discussions with the FA Women's National League board regarding the level of the women's football pyramid that the team will be operating in next season, with a decision to be confirmed in due course over the coming weeks.
Financial challenges and league requirements
The move comes after the recent rebranding of the Women's Championship, which, from next season, will require its clubs to run fully professional sides with increased support and facilities in order to protect player welfare and the integrity of competition. The increased demands on clubs are taking a huge toll financially, especially on smaller clubs.
While the effort to save the club is in vain, league officials and other interested parties did what they could to help out Blackburn, who blamed unviable financial pressure for the situation, including ballooning wage bills and reliance on matchday revenue.
Rovers cited further problems of stagnant home crowds, despite playing their matches at Ewood Park.
There have been some grim reports of the club's financial shortcomings, with players on part-time contracts just being paid the minimum wage, which has brought public criticism from former players and leading figures in the sport. Players were also notified of the withdrawal via WhatsApp, underscoring communication problems in the club.
Also Read:
FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur suffer two cup exits in a week after fourth-round defeat to Aston Villa
Impact on players and future prospects
The withdrawal has left players, coaches, and staff in limbo. Defender Niamh Murphy expressed her frustration on social media, revealing that management had issued a seven-day deadline for securing funding and criticizing the ongoing lack of financial support from the club. The team, which is coming off a 10th-place finish in the division despite having one of the smaller budgets, has a proud tradition of developing talents such as Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, and Keira Walsh.
The club's exit from the Championship has come in the wake of a similar announcement from Reading FC Women last year, which also cited financial pressures and an inability to comply with regulations. Such changes highlight the wider pressure point on women's football clubs to remain financially viable with higher professionalisation requirements.
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