Members of the Manchester United Women’s Supporters’ Club were so concerned about the revelations surrounding the club’s handling of their women’s team in the wake of manager Casey Stony’s shock departure in May that they asked an audience of club officials for urgent reassurance about their ongoing commitment to women’s football.
Stony’s sudden departure and the reasons behind it led to big questions about the standard of special training facilities for the club’s female players.
Stoney had long resisted her team being based at the main training ground in Carrington for fear of playing the second fiddle for the men and these concerns seemed to be realized in the middle of last season when the change was made in an attempt to get on top of injuries. . The former boss was not impressed with how her team’s first ever game at Old Trafford was handled and finally chose to give up and leave to spend time with his young family rather than keep fighting.
It was a blow for the fans to see her go, but the meeting between supporters and the club was granted in early June and the result was a positive announcement of the intention for a ” fully integrated approach to the training ground with women’s teams, men’s team and academy in one place. ‘
Man Utd are still without a manager even though they told players several weeks ago that there was a final shortlist with only two candidates / Charlotte Tattersall / Getty Images
The club also promised “… an improvement package for the women’s team’s facilities at Aon Training Complex, which starts again this summer”, and stated that the search for a new manager was already “active”. It seemed like a step forward.
Work is underway to improve the facilities, but it is over a month ago and United are still without a manager. It has been shown that the players have become sufficiently concerned about the club’s direction that they are preparing to collectively contact PFA for advice and support.
In what can only be described as a condemning report, The Athletic writes that United’s female players are “frustrated” by the failure to appoint a new manager, after being told several weeks ago that there was a final shortlist of two candidates. The squad has not been familiar with the identity of any candidate, which is not necessarily unusual but feels “in the dark” about the club’s immediate ambitions.
After leading the WSL table for a while last season, United were very close to qualifying for the Champions League and finished just one point behind third-placed Arsenal after a poor result after Christmas. Strong recruitment is the way to close this gap, but United have lost two world-class players after Tobin Heath and Christen Press returned to America and have yet to sign one.
Former manager Casey Stoney was worried about training facilities / Lewis Storey / Getty Images
Failure to recruit leads more to the club going backwards than just staying as an ambitious Everton begins to gather momentum behind them.
Unlike Arsenal, which has a dedicated general manager who runs the women’s team, The Athletic states that United effectively has a de facto female manager in the form of CFO Steve Deaville. It is said that players ‘lose confidence’ in the communication with Deaville and the football director John Murtough, with both men having many other responsibilities.
A group of United players is now expected to approach PFA with ‘unanimous support’ from all female players. Among other problems for players now described as “unlucky” is an obviously “disgusting” standard for accommodation like last season, compared to student accommodation. The club has since given larger housing grants, which it considers to be on a par with what is offered at similar rival clubs. But some players still think it is low.
The club’s position seems to be that overall progress is being made with the women’s team and that the enforced COVID-19 protocols have made things more of a challenge. But the latest revelations suddenly make the previous statement about commitment to women’s teams and women’s players now seem a bit hollow and sincere without obvious evidence otherwise.
Players and fans deserve so much more and these are actions that speak much louder than words.
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