Latest news with #WolvesWomen
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Wolves Women vow to apply for WSL2 licence after promotion push was ‘all for nothing'
Wolves Women have promised to learn from their mistake and apply annually for a licence to play in the second tier of English football after a failure to do so rendered their promotion push pointless this season. Wolves went into last month's final day of the Women's Premier Division North campaign with hopes of winning promotion to the Women's Championship, which has been renamed Women's Super League 2. A 6-0 win against Liverpool Feds was not enough to secure promotion as other results went against them and they finished three points behind champions Nottingham Forest. The Wolves players were left furious after only being told of the club's decision not to apply for a second-tier licence in a meeting after their final match. Following a backlash from players, Shi said in a statement on Monday: "Wolves Women remains a vital part of our football family and we are committed to building a sustainable, competitive future for the team. "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.' None of Wolves' players are on full-time contracts, while the licence criteria to compete in the second tier encourages increased investment in the women's team. The players did not hold back in their reaction to finding out that, had they won promotion last season, they would have been denied a place in Women's Super League 2. Midfielder Beth Merrick said in a statement on X: "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." Team-mate Lily Simkin added on X: "As a group of staff and players we have been fighting all season and still achieved what some people at the club thought was impossible. PA
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wolves to apply for WSL2 licence after squad anger
Wolves Women say they will apply for a licence to play in the Women's second tier on an annual basis after players said their ultimately unsuccessful battle for promotion was "all for nothing". Last month Wolves went into the final day of the season with a chance of promotion to the Championship, only for players to find out post-match that the club had decided against applying for a licence to play in the second division, to be renamed Women's Super League 2 from next season. Had they beaten eventual champions Nottingham Forest to the title, they would have been denied promotion. "Moving forward, we will apply for the Tier 2 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," Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said in a statement published on Monday. "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." Shi admitted that the women's set-up "requires strengthening", and he is committed to implementing "improved structure, support, communication and leadership." Wolves said that senior club figures will meet regularly with the squad's leadership group to "maintain transparency, provide updates and work together on the future direction of the programme." The club confirmed that plans are underway to establish an independent board specifically for the women's team, and that a full-time commercial lead will be appointed to support the growth of independent revenue streams that will "reduce reliance on club funding over time." Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wolves to apply for WSL2 licence after squad anger
Wolves Women say they will apply for a licence to play in the Women's second tier on an annual basis after players said their ultimately unsuccessful battle for promotion was "all for nothing".Last month Wolves went into the final day of the season with a chance of promotion to the Championship, only for players to find out post-match that the club had decided against applying for a licence to play in the second division, to be renamed Women's Super League 2 from next they beaten eventual champions Nottingham Forest to the title, they would have been denied promotion."Moving forward, we will apply for the Tier 2 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," Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said in a statement, external published on Monday."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."Shi admitted that the women's set-up "requires strengthening", and he is committed to implementing "improved structure, support, communication and leadership."Wolves said that senior club figures will meet regularly with the squad's leadership group to "maintain transparency, provide updates and work together on the future direction of the programme."The club confirmed that plans are underway to establish an independent board specifically for the women's team, and that a full-time commercial lead will be appointed to support the growth of independent revenue streams that will "reduce reliance on club funding over time."
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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. Wolverhampton Wanderers, UK Women's Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Wolves pledge to apply for women's tier-two status in future after backlash
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. Advertisement 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. '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. Advertisement 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.
