Wolves players ‘absolutely devastated' club never applied for promotion
The Wolves midfielder Beth Merrick said: 'Imagine fighting for promotion all season, to find out our Championship bid was never submitted.'
The Wolves midfielder Beth Merrick said: 'Imagine fighting for promotion all season, to find out our Championship bid was never submitted.' Photograph: Jack Thomas/WWFC/Wolves/Getty
The Wolves women's players have said they feel let down by a lack of ambition from their club after learning an application for promotion to the Women's Championship was not submitted, despite the team battling Nottingham Forest for top spot all season.
Wolves finished second in the northern section of the third tier in English women's football – the FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division – on Sunday, three points behind Forest, who clinched promotion on the final day to go up to the second tier. Only one team could be promoted.
Advertisement
Wolves have met all the criteria to play second-tier football but it has emerged the club did not apply, and the players were informed of this during a team meeting on Sunday after full-time in their 6-0 home victory against Liverpool Feds, their final game of the season.
Wolves did not wish to comment on the matter when contacted on Monday by the Guardian with a series of questions.
Beth Merrick described the situation as 'crazy', before the midfielder said: 'Imagine fighting for promotion all season, to find out our Championship bid was never submitted. As a group we are absolutely devastated to finish the season this way and believe it speaks volumes about the club's ambitions for the women's team. For our staff to have to deliver this news to us moments after is astonishing.
'Our players, staff and fans deserve so much better. The staff have put in hours of dedication, for a bid to never be submitted. It's not about money, it's about honesty and transparency.'
Advertisement
Any third-tier clubs interested in applying for a second-tier licence, to be ready for promotion subject to their final league position, initially had until 20 December 2024 to express their intent to apply, before the formal deadline to submit a second-tier application, which was on 21 February.
The list of criteria included a requirement to provide evidence a club could attract average home attendances of at least 600 spectators, while also requiring 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, as well as a matchday safety manager.
It is also understood that the company running the Women's Championship, Women's Professional Leagues Limited, has proposed to raise the minimum contact hours per week for players up to 20 hours per week, although this proposal remains subject to receiving final shareholder approval.
It is understood there was a shocked reaction in the dressing room on Sunday night among staff and players, many of whom are considering their futures at the club.
Abbi Jenner, the defender who is on a season-long loan at Wolves from the Women's Championship side Birmingham City, wrote on X that the situation was 'absolutely gutting', accompanied by a broken heart emoji. The midfielder Lily Simkin wrote: 'We feel let down … We took it to the last day to find out it would have all been for nothing anyway. We deserve better.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
After weeks of contract wrangling: Sané's future decided
The chapter FC Bayern apparently has come to an end for Leroy Sané. As 'Sky' reporter Florian Plettenberg reports, the winger has also rejected the improved offer for a new contract in Munich. The club is said to have already been informed. Bayern reporter Tobias Altschäffl from 'Bild' also confirmed the failed negotiations on X. The 29-year-old is instead on the verge of a transfer to Galatasaray. Sané's contract with FC Bayern runs until June 30. Participation in the Club World Cup is also no longer planned. Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 Alexander Hassenstein - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Can Bamford still lead the line in the Premier League?
Will Patrick Bamford still be an asset in the Premier League? The 31-year-old struggled for fitness last season and did not start a game in the Championship, coming off the bench 17 times without scoring. Advertisement However, he boasts more top-flight experience than most in the Leeds squad and did score 17 Premier League goals in the 2021-22 season, the last time the Whites went up. This week's Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast episode discusses whether he can still be useful for Daniel Farke. "Most people listening would probably agree that a nine needs to be bought," said BBC Radio Leeds sports editor Jonny Buchan. "But if [Bamford] plays every pre-season game, has a decent one, plays in Dublin against AC Milan - he does have Premier League pedigree, something the club need and want," . Advertisement "He's already got that and he scored 17 in the top flight before." Co-host and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix can also see the value of keeping Bamford around. "We've seen Bamford trying to get fit," added Rix. "He never gave me any hint he wants to leave Leeds. He knows he needs to get to the first day of pre-season ready to go because last season was a bit of a washout. "He's back in credit with the fans. There is an argument that if you get Pat fit for 28 games in a Premier League season, he's very worth having. If someone else had him, you'd think he's a good striker for them to have. Advertisement "I just don't know if you can go into a very important season again relying on Bamford to be fit. It feels like a stretch." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds Where do you stand on Bamford's future? Would you use him in the Premier League and, if so, what should his role be? Lets us know here.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jordan's long road to World Cup qualification took a strange diversion
Would Harry Redknapp have taken Jordan to the World Cup had the 2018 tournament featured 48 teams instead of 32 and Asia had eight spots instead of four? It is an interesting question but the former West Ham manager's short time in charge in 2016, not long after Ray Wilkins had the job, is not a subject anyone in the capital, Amman, is much focused on at the moment. 'Redknapp and Wilkins? Now is not the time to talk about that,' said a smiling Jordan Football Association official on Monday. The reaction given the country has just qualified for a first World Cup and is in serious party mode is understandable. Advertisement Related: Socceroos taken from brink of disaster to automatic World Cup 2026 qualification | Joey Lynch Before Tuesday's game at home to Iraq the sky above Amman's International Stadium came alive with drones displaying images of King Abdullah II, crown prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II and then a fighter jet, a tank and '2026'. It was impressive, and it is doubtful many of those present were also contemplating an image of Redknapp driving away from Jordan's training, winding down the windows to chat about the World Cup with waiting journalists before turning past the shisha bars and restaurants on Al Shahid Street and heading back to his hotel. In March 2016, Redknapp was brought in for two World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Australia. It was a short-lived rollercoaster, more of a gyro drop really, an 8-0 win followed by a 5-1 loss. There cannot be many international coaches with a higher goals per game average. Redknapp wanted to extend his contract if the team reached the third round of qualification but Jordan were fifth of the eight best group runners-up and only the top four went through. These days, they would be in the final stage. Wilkins had been appointed in September 2014, taking his former Manchester United teammate Frank Stapleton with him. His five-month contract was not extended after Jordan did not make it out of their group at the Asian Cup the following January, finishing third behind Japan and a talented Iraq team. A year later Redknapp followed. Advertisement Hiring English coaches was the doing of the Jordan FA president, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who challenged Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency in 2015. None of it really worked out. Wilkins and Redknapp were not around long enough to do much. 'I haven't got a magic wand. I can't come here and suddenly go: 'We're going to play like Brazil,'' Redknapp said. 'If I can get another 5% to make the difference I'll be delighted.' He was right. There isn't a magic wand and although the expanded World Cup helps, Jordan's qualification is not all about that either. 'This achievement comes after years of hard work from players and the Jordan FA,' said the team's Moroccan coach, Jamal Sellami. 'This historic qualification is for all the people who believed in us.' The improvement has been slow and steady. A solid mid-ranking team that long enjoyed being a stubborn underdog and giving more illustrious opponents a bloody nose in Amman have become something more. The 2023 Asian Cup was testament to that. Jordan won their first knockout games at the tournament and outclassed Jürgen Klinsmann's South Korea in the semi-final before losing to the hosts, Qatar. Related: Vinícius books Brazil's place at World Cup as Ancelotti plays with four forwards Advertisement The coach Hussein Ammouta had much to do with it. The FA appointed the Moroccan in June 2023 instead of looking to Europe. He had a fine résumé, if one little known outside the Arab world, having secured continental prizes at club and country level as well as domestic trophies. Under him Jordan were happy to let opponents have possession and ready to take advantage of mistakes and be devastating on the counter. Attackers such as Yazan al-Naimat and Rennes' Musa al-Tamari, a rare Europe-based player, though that may change soon, lit up the tournament. Ammouta left in June 2024, citing family reasons, and there was some annoyance when he was appointed by the UAE club Al Jazira a few weeks later and much stronger feelings when it looked as if he might take the Iraq job in April. This was not only down to rivalry but also because the two were fighting it out for the second 2026 World Cup automatic qualification spot in Group B behind South Korea. Ammouta decided against it. His successor, Sellami, sealed the deal last week with a 3-0 win in Oman. Five days later, Iraq came to town for the final group game, a dead rubber. The party was alive, flags flying from cars heading to the stadium, billboards showing congratulations and fans talking of who they want at the World Cup. Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and Spain were mentioned. England were high on the list too and, if it happens, then it will be a perfect time to talk about Redknapp, Wilkins and their Amman adventure.
