Wolves pledge to apply for women's tier-two status in future after backlash
Wolves pledge to apply for tier-two status for women's side in future after backlash this season
Wolverhampton Wanderers have pledged to apply for tier-two status for their women's team every year going forwards after being criticised by players for refusing to do so this season.
Wolves issued a statement on their ambitions for the women's side on Monday after holding a meeting with the Wolves Women hierarchy last week.
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The statement promised support for the women's team and, crucially, an explicit promise to apply for second-tier status 'on an annual basis' in future.
Women's players were critical earlier this month after taking their battle with Nottingham Forest for promotion to the Championship down to the final day of the season, only to be told afterwards that Wolves chairman Jeff Shi had chosen not to sign the application documents for Championship status.
Those documents, which require commitments to new roles and infrastructure which would incur an estimated cost of about £1.5million ($2m), needed to be submitted in February. It meant that winning the FA Women's National League North — they eventually finished second behind Forest — would not have resulted in promotion.
In Monday's statement, Shi said: 'Wolves Women remains a vital part of our football family, and we are committed to building a sustainable, competitive future for the team.
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'We know the women's set-up requires strengthening, and we've already begun addressing that. Our plan includes building a stronger foundation across key areas such as commercial, financial, marketing and sporting operations, to ensure Wolves Women has the infrastructure needed to thrive.
'Moving forward, we will apply for the tier-two licence on an annual basis in line with our sporting achievements, and ensure that every on-pitch achievement is supported by the right procedures and documentation.
'We believe Wolves Women can continue to progress — and that belief will be backed by improved structure, support, communication and leadership. That's what we are committing to putting in place.'
However, Shi and Wolves owners Fosun have made clear that they do not plan to fund a move to full-time status for Wolves Women, preferring instead to use the team as a vehicle for participation for local women and girls. It means the latest statement is unlikely to fully placate the supporters of the women's side who want to see it move towards full-time football.
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The statement did promise regular meetings between the club hierarchy and senior figures at Wolves Women 'to maintain transparency, provide updates and work together on the future direction of the programme'. It also promised an independent board specifically for Wolves Women and a full-time commercial officer specifically for the women's team.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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