Hamilton Accies Women considering legal advice after rebrand demands
Hamilton Accies Women's boss Robert Watson has revealed they will be considering legal advice after Hamilton Academical's owners banned them from using the club's intellectual property.
A letter issued to the women's side last week informed them that Hamilton Academical would be launching their own women's team and academy for girls/women, meaning the current 'Accies Women' must be rebranded.
The move comes after Accies Women opted to sever ties wirh the wider footballing operation, following the men's team's decision to leave New Douglas Park last month.
In a statement last week, Accies Women said they were 'surprised and disappointed' by the move as they 'had an agreement in place with the club's previous owners to use the branding in perpetuity'.
Accies Women are set to return for pre-season in the week commencing July 7 and will hope to have some clarity by then on where they stand for playing in next season's SWPL1.
Asked if the club would be changing their name, Watson said: "At the end of the day, it will be for our committee to make calls on. I know they are in active discussions and have been over the weekend on what to do next.
"My understanding is that there was an agreement with the previous board of directors to use the Hamilton Accies name and branding, but it will be down to the committee to determine the next steps.
"They are looking at various options and I would imagine taking legal advice would be within their remit.
"I trust that our committee, who have always worked for the benefit of women and girls football within Hamilton - and under the Hamilton Academical name - for over a decade, will continue to do the right thing by the local community."
While the men's side have had a year to forget, the women's side have been thriving. The senior team won SWPL2 to earn promotion back to the top flight, while the 17s side won the Scottish Cup and the 15s won their league.
Watson added: "From my point of view, this season will be about continuing the good work from last season.
"It was an extremely positive year for the senior team and within the youth academy.
"Our 17s have just won the Scottish Cup and they've knocked out Rangers in the semi-final and then beaten Hearts in the final, so they've defeated the sides who are arguably the biggest youth women setups in the country.
"Our aim is just to continue that. We have a highly committed and exciting group of players who are looking forward to top flight football in Hamilton next season."
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