As an organisation committed to improving the lives of young people, in light of the grievance letter sent by Birmingham City Women to their board detailing their issues with their working conditions, we had to give our two-pence.
The letter, signed by all of the first team, outlines the inequalities an elite women’s team still has to face, and is a damning reminder how far the wider game is still to come. Addressing issues of travel and hotel provisions, inept operational decisions and inadequate facilities and medical support, it was a gut-wrenching, unnecessary and frustrating halt to the incredible strides the women’s game is making.
The first team is unhappy about having to travel to and from away games without being provided overnight hotels; in fact, Easter Sunday’s game against Chelsea was understood to be the first time one has been provided for an away Women’s Super League (WSL) match this season. Overnight hotel provision is common place in professional sport, but the luxurious stigma surrounding this aspect of elite sport is not only why it’s not taken notice of by spectators, but is why it’s importance to grassroots is underestimated. Locality is a huge factor impacting the success of grassroots and the inconvenience borne by the negligence of the board of Birmingham City Women is exactly why we made sure to host the Girls Super League from one centralised venue in London; combatting the problems of pitch availability, refereeing quality, standardisation of games, and the hassle that comes with unplanned, unstructured and unexpected journeys to and from games, that can not only be damaging to the performance of players themselves – but in our case – a nuisance to the parents and guardians accompanying the players on their travels.
This isn’t the first time the team’s feelings of their treatment has been publicised. In February, the players declared their anger with the board declining to pay a nominal fee of under £500 to move their derby fixture with Aston Villa to St George’s Park to ensure it was played. The fixture was inevitably called off thanks to a frozen pitch, despite the club being offered days in advance the option to move the game to a pitch with undersoil heating. Leaving whether a game takes place, a derby fixture, the biggest game of any club’s season, up to mother nature, would be completely unfathomable in the men’s game. Something that would categorically, not happen. Why is that?
Issues around pitch availability is a far too prevalent a problem in the WSL and was personified in the winter. We’ve already expressed of our love for the new WSL TV deal, and it’s hoped that it will contribute to rectifying the problems with pitches; with Kelly Simmons, the FA’s Director of the women’s professional game stating that, “we’re working with the Football Foundation and we’ve got a plan over the next two years to support clubs to improve the quality of their pitches”.
Birmingham City Women were rudely and wrongly not afforded the opportunity to play football as a result of a selfish and farcical fiscal standpoint. It’s this type of mockery which is why Bloomsbury Football and the Girls Super League (GSL) offer several models of financial assistance and have made it blatant of our ambition to expand our bursary pool, even running 100km, to ensure every child has the opportunity to play football irrespective of their ability to pay, and if you would like to donate to help us achieve this, please do.
It is also claimed that some of the key coaching staff at Birmingham City Women are not full-time employees, which would be breach of WSL rules: a shrill, distasteful insult illuminating how women in the game are forced to work harder than men yet are still unfairly compensated for their efforts. What’s more, is that when this season started, only eight senior players were registered at the club, and it’s understood that only three are under contract for next season; making the players increasingly fearful that the club are not committed to funding a full-time team for next season. COVID has compounded the monetary misery of many and has made the economic conditions of most, a very murky predicament. No doubt are we sympathetic of those situations and symmetrical showcasing the same scars, but it is simply unacceptable to allow uncertainty to plague the potential futures of so many professionals’ careers. More has to be and should be done to confirm and stablish a viable future for women teams and the women’s game, and the path that will be taken. The launching of the GSL, creating a hub for girls football: resolving the difficulties of girls not being able to find competitive games easily, bestowing upon them the platform of the capital to showcase their talent and love for the game, no longer held back by socio-economic barriers, has formed a clear, obvious pathway for girls football in London and personifies the intent of Bloomsbury Football, Super 5 League and Nike, to fight the issues of inequality within sport which girls and women face today and eradicating the barriers to participation.
Birmingham City Women have been so badly compromised this season that at times, they’ve only been able to name two substitutes; stretched so thin that they were unable to field a team at all, for January’s meeting with Tottenham. Intensified amid an unprecedented injury crisis, in which the club’s medical underperformance has been broadcast by the team as another blemish on the list in the letter. The squad are deeply irritated with the size of their injury treatment facilities. The temporary, portable building at the club’s training ground which can only fit up to five players to be treated at any given time, is shockingly inadequate for elite athletes. Furthermore, it’s understood Birmingham do not send a doctor to away games, though this is not uncommon at WSL level because rules do not mandate travelling clubs to provide a doctor, unlike in the men’s Premier League, it once again shines an unflattering light to the inequalities between the approach and attitudes towards the men and women’s games. The importance of proper rest and recovery in sports is unquestionable, and is why not only did Bloomsbury Football launch our sports science programme aimed at enabling our players to maximise their full potential through periodic testing seven times a year, but to enhance that, partnered with Technique Health who provide support to grassroots clubs like ourselves, with injury rehabilitation and prevention.
It shouldn’t be a tall order for professional clubs to replicate the same level of thoroughness we guarantee is maintained within our operations. We’re prepared to go that extra mile, go the extra lengths, and that should be the same for everyone, no matter how big or small. The Birmingham players justly do not believe the club is doing all it can to help them succeed and is instead preventing them from performing their jobs to the best of their ability. The polar opposite of the synergy required between club and team to achieve success. Bloomsbury Football pursues sporting excellence in everything we do by providing and upholding the highest level of effort, coaching and facilities to allow young people to reach the highest level of achievement. We want every child inspired to accomplish their aims, whether it’s kicking a ball for the first time, or signing for a Premier League club. From their first goals to their life goals, we’re here to support and enable them.
It’s shameful to have to hear about these things in the present day, but imperative to be aware of such. We hope to become a thoughtful and respected leader in our industry sector by promoting sport for development. To do that we mustn’t be stationary, we have to be active. We feel it’s right to speak about those more established, shed light on and hold those with greater power accountable, as this is the only way to induce real change.
The women’s game has come so far but massive discrepancies still exist. Bloomsbury Football itself was formed to fill the gap of the lack of professional organisations offering footballing opportunities to children regardless of their background or ability. We filled that discrepancy, and will continue to work to fill the gaps in the women’s game, wherever we can.