A soccer membership on Teeside has come underneath hearth for axing its complete feminine part, with Lioness Beth Mead saying she is “disgusted” by the choice.
The controversial transfer by the committee of Teesside-based Thornaby FC has left greater than 100 girls and women with no soccer membership.
The ladies’s part, writing on Fb, mentioned the membership’s U7s, U8s, U10s, U11s, U15s and ladies’s groups can be misplaced.
“This leaves over 100 girls without a club,” they mentioned. “We are are all devastated to hear of the Thornaby FC decision and would like to thank the members of the club who voted to keep female football.”
PA Media added that six committee members who voted to withdraw their soccer membership’s feminine part have now stepped down.
Mead, who grew up close to Whitby in North Yorkshire, mentioned the women deserved higher.
“Disgusted to see this decision,” the England and Arsenal ahead wrote on X. “The ladies’s sport is on the up however we nonetheless have committees making these horrible selections.
“It’s not good enough, these young girls deserve better. I’d love to send the team a signed England shirt to keep them inspired.”
She added: “If I can help with anything do reach out, us women need to stick together.”
Eleven-time Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Tanni Gray-Thompson known as the transfer “so sad”, whereas Spurs and Lionesses participant Bethany England added: “This should not be happening.”
The Soccer Affiliation was “very disappointed” and mentioned its native department, the North Using County FA, was involved with the membership.
Maz Pacheco, a defender for Girls’s Tremendous League membership Aston Villa, additionally wrote on X: “This has blown my mind… How can you just remove a whole women’s and girls section of your club???”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen expressed “outrage” on the resolution, which he attributed to a “1970s mindset”.
“As we head into a summer of Euros, we should be trying to expand the game, not put barriers up,” he mentioned in an announcement posted on X.
“If my daughter wants to play football when she gets older I expect her to be treated the same and have the same opportunities as the boys her age.”
Mr Houchen added he can be contacting the membership to inform them “this terrible decision needs reversing immediately”.
‘Women received trophy on day group axed’
Nikki Lucas, whose daughter Lily captains the membership’s U15s group, mentioned that they had simply received a event once they heard the information.
She advised Sky Information: “We were all absolutely devastated, shocked and really deflated. The girls had spent the whole day at a tournament in Chester-le-Street where they absolutely smashed it, lifted a trophy and then came home to this news.”
Mrs Lucas, who lives in Middlesbrough, mentioned dad and mom held fundraising occasions for the women’ groups all through the season to cowl prices.
Younger gamers can be heartened by the help the women’ and ladies’s groups have acquired because the information broke, she added.
The U15s completed runners up of their league, received two cups and have been invited to characterize Teesside in a nationwide event this summer season.
Thornaby Girls supervisor Abbey Lyle, who led the senior group to a third-placed end of their first season, mentioned her gamers had been “absolutely floored”.
Lyle advised PA Media: “We narrowly missed promotion and that’s in our first season. It’s nothing to do with our positioning, it’s more to do with gender because there’s no other reason for it.
“We’re all pals on the girls. A number of them do it for psychological well being, we have got firewomen, paramedics, policewomen, they do it to get away from life.
“They come and see their friends, have a laugh, play sport. It’s affected everyone differently and we’ve had to approach it differently to every age group I suppose.”
Thornaby have additionally acquired an outpouring of help from different grassroots golf equipment on social media and Lyle admitted the response had been “amazing”.
Chairman outvoted
The membership’s chairman Garry Morris additionally criticised the choice.
“In light of the recent actions taken by the board of Thornaby FC of which I am chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my thoughts at an extremely difficult time for the club and more importantly, the female players affected by these actions,” he wrote on Fb.
“The decision to withdraw support for the women’s team is one that I do not agree with, and along with another member of the committee, voted against it at yesterday’s emergency meeting.
“I’ve made my emotions identified to the board, have requested them to rethink their resolution, and likewise to think about their positions on the board as patrons and trustees of the soccer membership.”
He added: “We’re empowered by the followers of the membership to make the proper selections for the way forward for the membership, and all those that present their unwavering help to each the female and male groups of all age teams deserve higher.
“I firmly believe this decision made yesterday does not do that, and will be making this clear to the remaining members of the board.”
As of Monday night, Thornaby FC’s official X account – previously often called Twitter – appeared to have been deleted.
