United in stasis?
Concerns that a mooted takeover may have left United women essentially on pause, while Tara Bourne leaves the club
I’m writing this one in the full knowledge that it may be very outdated very soon, so I’ll keep it relatively brief, but I did want to get something out there.
If you’ve been following the men’s team, you’ll be aware that Sheffield United FC are in a period of self-imposed stasis due to a potential takeover. This appears to have completely stalled the club, as I wrote for the Pinch a few weeks ago.
Now, I wrote that list of questions / concerns about the men’s team – but I’m becoming increasingly concerned that a lot of it may also apply to the women’s side. And there’s been some miserable stories coming out of other clubs in the last few weeks, which have put me slightly on edge for United’s own team.
Reading announced that they’ve all-but canned their entire women’s football set-up, dropping out of the Women’s Championship (there will only be 11 teams in the league next season) and leaving a huge amount of women footballers of all ages out of work and out of hope. It’s a terrible situation.
Reading’s decision has been taken due to the financial malaise of the men’s team, and a possible takeover (sound familiar?), but at the other end of the financial scale we have Manchester United shedding talent, with the owner signalling pretty clearly that the women’s side – which just won the FA Cup and is packed with some of the best and most famous female footballers in this country – are not a priority.
England internationals Mary Earps and Katie Zelem are two of the most notable names to leave Man Utd in the last few weeks, following Alessia Russo’s departure last summer. Earps took a diplomatic tone in her farewell statement, but you don’t exactly need a magnifying glass to read between the lines:
“The club is about to undergo a period of transition, and unfortunately I don’t feel it aligns with the timing of where I’m at in my career, therefore I think now is the right time to make a change and embark on a new challenge.”
Translation: I am better than this, and not wasting the rest of my career here.
The Athletic’s Katie Whyatt spelled it out in a radio interview: agents are actively telling their players not to go to Manchester United, which is an astonishing reality for a club that is relatively star-studded, just won a major trophy, and are part of a brand that remains one of the commercial heavyweights of the global game even as the men’s team has trod water in recent years.
What do Reading and Manchester United have to do with Sheffield United, in this instance? Hopefully, very very little. However:
On Sunday, star centre-back Tara Bourne announced on social media that she was (amicably) leaving United
It is now five months to the day (five!) that United sacked manager Jonathan Morgan, and no replacement has been found – or at least, announced
The club still haven’t published a retained / released list or brought in any new players – making them the only club in the Women’s Championship not to do so, according to Girls On The Ball
I’ll write more about Bourne’s departure in the near future – the short version is I’m sad but not surprised to see her go – but the stasis over the last two is somewhat troubling in that it suggests that SUFC Women – like the men – are effectively on indefinite pause.
It does point to 2024/25 being another transition year for the Blades – not least because London City Lionesses, under new-ish ownership, have gone all-in on locking up the single promotion spot in the Women’s Championship.
And that’s ok! United brought in some really good players last season, and had a ton of success at youth level which could see a couple more step up to the first team this season as part of an ongoing progression of the team. But it is a little frustrating to think that – much like the men’s team – the club is yet to show that it’s really moved on from some of the negative events of last season. And even more annoying / alarming to think that the women’s team might be negatively impacted, or even at risk, from this takeover.
I really hope that I look like an overreacting fan in just a few days (and full disclosure, I’m pretty rattled about what the men’s team are doing – or not doing – at the moment), and United start to at least reveal that wheels are in motion on and off the pitch. Losing one of your best players and still not having a manager in place, though, isn’t an ideal start if you’re trying to run a football club in a serious fashion.