Left in the lurch
Daily Mail reports that United Women are yet to make decisions on contracts, leaving players with an uncertain future as Bex Rayner and Sophie Barker depart
I raised a few red flags in last week’s newsletter, and signed off by hoping that I’d soon look like an hysterical fan overreacting to the current levels of inactivity at Sheffield United Women. Since then, things have taken a bit of a turn into “this is fine” meme territory.
To sum up – and adding to Tara Bourne leaving the club, which we knew last week:
Bex Rayner, one of the league’s best players, announced her departure
Sophie Barker, the club captain and Head of Academy, also announced her departure
Kathryn Batte reported that United are yet to make decisions on contract renewals, leaving just two (!) players still under contract
That same report cites United themselves as confirming that the club have pushed back preseason training (with the intention of starting this week instead – watch this space)
United are into their fifth month without a permanent first-team manager
Pretty clearly, the takeover of the club is having an impact – negatively, in the short-term – on the women’s side. While the men’s team have continued to function somewhat (preseason training, contract decisions, at least one confirmed new signing), not so the women’s team. I did also mention possible parallels with Reading who are also going through a takeover, but have made the decision to abandon their women’s side and all age group teams. So… uh… how worried should we be?
Firstly, a few mitigating circumstances. As with Bourne’s departure, Rayner’s exit felt likely even before we entered this summer of inactivity. As I wrote in my end-of-season player ratings, she was one of the standout players in the Championship last season and a WSL call – where I expect she’ll end up – would be difficult for her to turn down. United’s current inactivity won’t have increased the likelihood of her staying, but it probably wouldn’t have made much difference either.
(Bourne, for what it’s worth, has just joined fellow Championship side Southampton - which on the surface feels like a bit of a sideways move but in practice shows how far ahead of United the Saints are perceived to be).
Sophie Barker’s departure is a little more troubling, with United now shorn of their ever-present captain and the Head of Academy – a role she was having demonstrable success in even though she only took the post last summer. However, in her farewell message Barker did say that “this year has been the hardest of my life”, following the passing of Maddy Cusack, and so perhaps a fresh start in a new environment is a factor for her.
It’s also worth remembering that the squad went through massive turnover last summer too, which involved many first-team regulars – including the two top-scorers, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Mia Enderby – leaving the club. In terms of high-profile departures, this is not that unusual a start to the summer.
The rest of the stuff here, though, is more than a little troubling – especially, one imagines, for the players themselves. We’re barely a year into the club transitioning into a full-time model for the women’s side, which would have been – for many – probably the first time a lot of them could consider professional football as a viable career choice.
Now? That’s suddenly up in the air again. Bluntly, it’s not good enough from United who don’t appear to have seen the need to keep operations running for the women’s side while this takeover wraps up. In the meantime, United’s women players have reportedly been left in the lurch in terms of their short– and long-term futures in the game.
Again, I don’t think this is the reason that Bourne, Rayner and Barker specifically have left United. But it may well be a huge factor in decision-making for other players, who will be seeing friends, rivals and former teammates get new deals at other clubs and get started on preparations for next season.
It already looks like being a different kind of season in the Championship, with London City investing heavily and Newcastle fast-tracking themselves up the leagues (the club completed back-to-back promotions last year and yesterday signed last season’s Championship player of the year, Claudia Moan, from local rivals Sunderland). Bristol City were one-and-done in the WSL but likely to be more of a “have” than a “have not” in the 11-team league.
At the other end of the scale, Blackburn are reportedly set to pay their players the minimum wage next season (for which they’ve been roundly condemned). So where will United fall? As it stands it looks like they’ll be among those simply trying to stay in the Championship next season – but let’s hope it’s not worse than that (here I glance nervously at Reading again).
From a footballing perspective, United are now at least a week behind other teams in the Championship in terms of preseason, and – given decisions haven’t been made on contracts – likely several months behind other teams on squad building and recruitment. It’s good that the club’s situation is in the public eye now with regards to contracts, but will also have alerted every other team in the pyramid to potential availability of players like top-scorer Izzy Goodwin (unless she happens to be one of the two players still under contract – possible but my guess is no).
It’s not great! I’m really hoping for some positive news from the club soon, with local journalist Danny Hall suggesting that United would at least provide an update on the takeover this week. Hopefully that will be the kickstarter for United women as well as the men.
BladeswomenPod special incoming?!
Can I sort of like but unlike this post 😢